Celtic have not been good enough under Wilfried Nancy. They have lost four of their five matches under the new boss, conceding 11 goals in that time.
Whilst they have not been anywhere near good enough defensively, there can be some sympathy given to the Frenchman for the chances that have been missed under his watch.
Celtic under Wilfried Nancy
Result
Shots
Big chances
3-1 win vs Aberdeen
31
7
2-1 loss to Dundee United
18
6
3-1 loss to St Mirren
10
N/A
3-0 loss to Roma
9
3
2-1 loss to Hearts
15
3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Celtic have only scored six goals from 19 ‘big chances’ created in his five matches in charge, which shows that the team have been incredibly wasteful in front of goal.
What Celtic must do to improve their efficiency in front of goal
The first thing that the Scottish Premiership giants need to do in order to improve their efficiency in front of goal is to immediately drop Johnny Kenny from the starting line-up for the clash with Livingston next time out.
Unfortunately, the Ireland international’s form in recent matches has not been good enough, as he has failed to make the most of the chances that have come his way.
Per Sofascore, the 22-year-old centre-forward has missed four ‘big chances’ and was unable to score from any of his nine efforts on goal against Dundee United and Aberdeen, having started both of those games.
The young marksman has simply not been clinical enough in front of goal to reward the team for the chances that they have been creating in the last couple of matches, which is why he must be dropped from the side.
Before the January transfer window opens and the Hoops can bring in a new striker, Nancy could ditch Kenny by unleashing one of his current stars in a new role.
The Celtic star who could replace Kenny by playing new role
Benjamin Nygren has been deployed as a central and attacking midfielder, and on the right and the left wing, as a starter for the Scottish giants this season, per Transfermarkt.
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The Sweden international, though, is yet to start a match as an out-and-out centre-forward for the Hoops, and Nancy should change that by unleashing him as a striker ahead of Kenny against Livingston.
Nygren, who is valued at roughly £6m by Transfermarkt, has racked up eight goals and five assists in all competitions for Celtic this season, which makes him the club’s top scorer so far, per Transfermarkt.
The left-footed star has shown that he can score goals at a fairly impressive rate, at least more regularly than any other Celtic player, and he has had experience as a striker in the past.
Per Transfermarkt, Nygren has played 39 career club matches as a centre-forward, prior to signing for Celtic in the summer, and he scored an impressive 16 goals in those 39 appearances.
Nygren’s goals per position
Position
Games
Goals
RW
80
28
CF
39
16
CM
19
4
LW
16
6
AM
13
4
RM
6
1
LM
3
0
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, it is his second-most played position and his best for games-per-goal ratio, which shows that it is a position that he can play effectively.
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This means that it could make a lot of sense for the Scottish giants to unleash him as a centre-forward in the short-term, until they have the chance to sign a natural number nine in the January transfer window.
Nygren’s finishing has been far more efficient than Kenny’s has been, as he has scored six goals from 5.45 xG in the Premiership so far this season, per FotMob, whilst the Irishman has only scored four goals from 5.92 xG.
The Swedish star, therefore, is the perfect option to step in because he has experience in the position, has scored goals efficiently, and has proven that he can score goals for Celtic.
Not just Johnny Kenny: Nancy must finally drop Celtic flop who won 0 duels
Wilfried Nancy must finally drop this Celtic flop who was as bad as Johnny Kenny against Aberdeen.
ByDan Emery
It is now down to Nancy to ruthlessly drop Kenny from the starting line-up to provide Nygren with a chance to fill in up front until a new signing can be brought in next month.