Moussa Dembele

Id drop him for Rogic

 

This

 

Moussa Dembele asks for time to shine



It is a truth universally acknowledged that the countdown to the first goal starts the minute a newly acquired striker pulls on his shirt. As such, there has been the faint sound of a background clock ticking since Moussa Demeble arrived in Glasgow; the jury in these parts does not tend to deliberate.

It remains early days for the 20-year-old striker who was the first signing of Brendan Rodgers’ regime when he signed a four year deal from Fulham at the end of June. That first goal has so far proved elusive and it is fair to say that its lack will hang around his shoulders like a heavy woollen coat until he can shrug it off.


The striker, who had been pursued by Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, netted 17 goals for Fulham last term, and has acknowledged that he can feel the weight of expectation as he takes to the field.

“I understand that people are expecting from me personally and I understand what they are expecting from me,” said the Frenchman. “But they have to be patient and I have to be patient as well. I want things to come quickly and so do others, but it can be hard and I just want to produce good games for the team and, hopefully, everything will go well.

“It almost feels as though we are still in pre-season and we are getting fitness up game by game for the challenges which are coming. I feel as though I’m getting fitter and sharper with every game that I play.”

Timing at this stage of the season for Celtic, however, is everything. The Champions League qualifiers do not wait for fitness and sharpness to come but rather slam into the opening weeks of the summer, laying the foundations for the rest of the season.

Much hinges on the second leg of Celtic’s third round UEFA Champions League qualifier. The away goal in Kazakhstan gives them an edge in the tie but seeing the game out in Glasgow is imperative to the tone of the entire campaign. Seeing off FC Astana tomorrow night will guarantee European football of at least one variety; getting to the conclusive play-off round for the group stages of the Champions League would at least ensure a safety net into the Europa League should they come up short.


Dembele did not start against Barcelona at the weekend as Leigh Griffiths led the line, while last week in Kazakhstan he was replaced by Nir Bitton, a move that effectively altered the game in Celtic’s favour.

While he is keenly aware of the need to make an impression, the striker has nonetheless insisted that the priority at this stage of the season is qualification rather than individual success stories.

“Wednesday night is a huge game for us as players and for the club on the whole,” said Dembele. “But it is that the team wins which is most important for me because we really want to progress. If I score, that would be good for me, but it’s all about the team, getting the right result, it’s not about me.

“Astana is a good team and it was close between them and us in the first leg. We scored that goal away from home which is an advantage for us, but it is only the first half and the second half has not even started yet.

“We showed desire in Kazakhstan to get the goal near the end of the game, but nothing is decided yet. We have to maintain our focus and concentrate on Wednesday night, not what happened in the first leg over there.”

The incentive of Champions League football would have held considerable sway for Demebele when he weighed up the move to Glasgow but there is still work ahead in trying to get to Europe’s premier tournament.


“These Champions League qualifiers are very massive for me,” he said. “As a young kid, you always dreamed to play in the competition. But I’m not looking at the Champions League group stages, I’m just looking at the second leg against Astana.

“This is a qualifier. It’s not the Champions League group stages yet. That’s the mentality. It’s game by game and we have to win them if we want to get there.”

Griffiths has shown a willingness to pick up where he left off last season. Last year’s Player of the Year netted the goal in Kazakhstan and also found the net, however fortuitously, against Barcelona during Saturday’s International Champions Cup game in Glasgow.

Finding a way for both strikers to work in tandem might be the remit of the coming weeks for Rodgers.

“He’s [Griffiths] started the season really well, but he showed his quality last season with the amount of goals that he scored,” said Dembele.

“That’s what he does and it’s good for me to play alongside him, just as it’s good for him to play alongside me, I think. That’s good for the team and, hopefully, we can produce good things for the team and the club. The fans expect many goals from us this season and they are right. We have to show that we can play good together.”

 

totally agree

 

Speaks extremely well, especially considering his age. Very true though, he needs to be given time.

 

Not kicked a ball in the SPL and people writing him off. Its mental for a 20 year old to be judge so quickly. If he came through the ranks it would be different.

 

If he can bang one in against Astana that'd be ideal. First really rocking crowd of the season, massive game. His confidence would sky rocket and the fans would take to him in a heart beat.

 

think he should stat tommorrow.

 

You can see the guy has stuff going for him it's the other vital things like his touch and deciding when to shoot that's the problem

 

Big man to score tonight I think.

 

I hope you're right.

 

Talk about having a set of baws to step up and take that with what was on the line.

Chuffed for him.

 

Did brilliant to win that penalty

 

Me too:bbpd:

 

Love you!!!!

Nut Meg and link up with Griff for the pen was pure class. What composure to take the pen as well, considering he hadn't scored yet.

Amazing!!!!!

 

Big man made a serious difference there when he came on

 

Toure took his goal well

 

That was griffiths.