Mooy 2.0: Nancy can forget Nygren by unleashing “outstanding” Celtic star
It is not often that a manager has an opportunity to win a trophy in one of their first few matches in charge of a club, but that is the prospect facing Wilfried Nancy at Celtic this afternoon.
The French boss can win his first trophy as the new Hoops manager by overseeing a win over St Mirren at Hampden Park in the League Cup final this afternoon.
After defeats to Hearts and Roma in his first two matches in the dugout since his move from Columbus Crew, Nancy needs a response from his players to secure the trophy and get the fans on board with his project.
To do this, the Celtic boss must be ruthless with his team selection after a couple of disappointing performances, which is why Benjamin Nygren should be dropped from the team.
Why Celtic must drop Benjamin Nygren
The Sweden international was one of three players to be substituted at half-time in the defeat to Roma in the Europa League on Thursday night, which suggests that Nancy was far from pleased with what he was doing on the pitch.
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Nygren has been subbed off after 65 and 45 minutes in the first two games under the French boss, playing in one of the two attacking midfield positions behind the striker, after failing to make much of an impact in either match.
Minutes
65
45
Shots
1
0
Shots on target
0
0
Key passes
0
0
Big chances created
0
0
Pass accuracy
84%
84%
Tackles
1
0
Interceptions
1
0
As you can see in the table above, the left-footed attacker offered incredibly little at the top end of the pitch, despite playing in a second striker or attacking midfield role, with no shots on target or chances created against Hearts or Roma.
Nancy can finally drop the Swedish midfielder, after two poor performances in the last two games, by bringing Kelechi Iheanacho, who is starting to look like Aaron Mooy 2.0, into the team.
Why Kelechi Iheanacho must start against St Mirren
The Nigeria international did not arrive at Parkhead to a lot of fanfare because of the circumstances around the signing. Celtic had just missed out on signing any strikers during the summer transfer window, despite allowing Adam Idah to leave, and swooped to sign him on a free transfer instead.
Despite it appearing to be an underwhelming signing on paper, as he had been released by Sevilla, Iheanacho has proven himself to be a classy operator for Celtic when available, with three goals and one assist in nine appearances, per Sofascore.
When Mooy joined on a free transfer in 2022, the Daily Record stated that many expected him to be a squad player, and others questioned the logic in giving him a two-year deal, as the 31-year-old had spent the previous two years in China.
The Australian star, as the Daily Record put it, defied expectations to become a key performer for Ange Postecoglou in the middle of the park, with seven goals and 11 assists in 42 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, before he retired.
Iheanacho, who Brendan Rodgers claimed is in his “peak years”, looks to be on his way to defying expectations in a similar way, and he can take another step on that journey by starting ahead of Nygren against St Mirren today.
The former Leicester star has shown flashes of quality for the Hoops, like the goal in the clip above, and brings great experience to the side, as a player who has played in LaLiga, in the Premier League, and in the Champions League.
With Nygren’s poor performances in recent weeks, bringing Iheanacho in to offer quality and composure in such a high-pressure game could make a lot of sense for Nancy.
Playing the Nigerian striker up front would also allow Daizen Maeda, who won four out of 13 duels in the last two games, to focus more on making runs and scoring goals than competing with defenders that he cannot outmuscle as the lone number nine.
Therefore, Nancy must ditch Nygren to unleash the “outstanding” striker – as hailed by Aiden McGeady – in the centre-forward position, with Maeda dropping back as one of the number tens alongside Arne Engels.
Worse than Engels: Nancy must drop Celtic flop who looks awful in new role
Wilfried Nancy must drop this Celtic flop who was even worse than Arne Engels in the 3-0 defeat to Roma.
ByDan Emery 3 days ago
