Analysing James Forrest – Celtic’s key player this season
Celtic made a rather subdued start to their season, exiting from Champions League in the qualifiers. The Hoops began their league campaign in slow fashion as well, only to pick up some form in the past month or so.
The Scottish champions are now on top of the table, with Hearts, Rangers and Kilmarnock at close quarters at second, third and fourth position respectively. Brendan Rodgers’ men are starting to show their mettle, winning games with huge margins and showing the class of the champions.
One player who has been in fantastic nick is James Forrest. The right winger has been producing the goods since the start of this campaign, simultaneously proving why he deserved a new contract at the Parkhead.
If Celtic are to win the league and go far in the Europa League, they would need the 27-year-old to be in good form throughout. Here’s an analysis of his performances this season:
Stats Analysis – James Forrest
Not only for his club, Forrest has been in good form for his country as well. The Scot scored a brace in their recent UEFA Nations League win over Albania. Coming back to the domestic circuit, He has scored six goals and supplied five assists in 11 league appearances, meaning he contributes a goal every game on an average. He has scored 9 goals in all competitions.
The 27-year-old was in fine fettle in the Champions League group stage, netting two goals in six games. It is just unfortunate that it wasn’t enough to keep Celtic in the competition.
The Hoops sold forward Moussa Dembele very late in the summer transfer window, leaving them with no option but to rely on Leigh Griffiths to score the goals as a lead man.
However, the way Forrest is scoring goals and performing at the highest level, the team hasn’t felt the missing link up front. It is a testament to how well the 27-year-old is taking up responsibilities and fulfilling it.
In any case, Rodgers’ men have to buy a new striker in January, but if they fail to do that, then Forrest’s displays would be handy. The Scot has been a key player for them so far and if another league title is to be won, they would require him to be at his best for the remainder of the games.