Barry Ferguson has named Celtic’s three most important players and overlooked the man that dominated the Glasgow Derby throughout 2023.
Back on January 2 Kyogo Furuhashi netted in the fixture for the first time as a late equaliser at Ibrox put the Micky Beale Revolution on hold.
Six matches later with both teams under new management he curled a 20 yard shot around Jack Butland for the winning goal, his seventh in the fixture which included strikes at all six goals across the three major Glasgow stadiums.
In recent games Kyogo has been recapturing the impact that spearheaded Celtic to last season’s treble but it seems that his influence is being overlooked from one high profile source.
Listening in to Go Radio the Daily Record reports Ferguson saying:
They are the three most important players at Celtic, there’s no doubt about it. You watched the difference they (Carter-Vickers and Hatate) made on Sunday. Listen, it takes you a bit of time, when you’ve been out, to get up to speed but they are so important Carter-Vickers, Hatate and McGregor. I’m sure he’ll start on Sunday and that is the spine of your team.
Carter-Vickers and Hatate look certain to start at Ibrox on Sunday, updates on McGregor’s fitness will be scanned for all week.
The return of Hatate adds to the threat posed by Kyogo who has also linked up impressively with Nicolas Kuhn over the last three matches.
Philippe Clement will have studied Celtic in much more depth than Ferguson, as he preps his team for Sunday they will all be well aware that the main threat to the home side comes from the little striker overlooked by the former Kelty Hearts and Alloa manager.
Oddly, their fans don’t rate Kyogo. It may sound mental, but their fans always prefer big battering ram forwards like Hateley and Prso, guys with a face that launched a thousand ships – who look like their face has been smashed off the hull as the vessel slides down the slipway!
I hope their coaching staff are similarly dismissive…… the killer mushroom will have a field day!
They like big battering ram forwards like Hateley and Prso because they know they can carry out their thuggery unabated and with impunity in this rancid football country Captain !
McCoist is a sneaky wee nyaff and I think he wants McGregor back in to upset a midfield that did its job for the first time in ages and they all even managed to score. If Meada can hound Tavernier then we will be in with a good chance.
My only doubt, whatever team Rodgers picks on Sunday, is whether they will have the cajones to deal with 50,000 baying morons. It will be some win if they do.