Celtic’s synchronized performance against St Johnstone at Parkhead last weekend propelled them to the top of the Scottish Premiership standings.
James Forrest secured three more crucial points in the context of the championship race with a typically clinical finish after Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn put the Bhoys ahead.
There were enough of good things to take away from an encouraging day on home ground, even if Connor Smith’s late goal for the visitors was the reply.
Kuhn was named Man of the Match for his heroics against the Saints, despite his originally rough start in Glasgow. He now seems to have totally healed from his well-documented issues after dental surgery.
The 24-year-old made three crucial passes and created two excellent opportunities, earning a match rating of 9.1 according to Sofascore.
Though it sometimes takes players some time to adjust, Kuhn is starting to live up to his £3 million price tag.
Brendan Rodgers, who expressed his joy at the former Rapid Vienna man’s recent turn of events, also gave the January arrival a lot of praise.
“He’s very quick and dynamic,” he said. Simply said, I believe he needs some time, so please be patient. Players are evaluated here based on their first impressions, I know, but he’s beginning to justify his inclusion.
What has changed for Nicolas Kuhn at Celtic, according to Simon Donnelly
Simon Donnelly, a former player for the Celtics, is used to the high standards set by his former team and thinks Kuhn has started to turn the turnaround in his Parkhead career.
The 49-year-old believes the former Germany Under-20 international has found a fresh lease on life on the wing and is only going to gain confidence despite some early problems.
According to Donnelly (Clyde 1 Superscoreboard), Kuhn arrived to Celtic and may have initially found it difficult to make an impression. I am aware that he scored at Pittodrie, but until the Livingston game, it hadn’t really been a good thing.
“I felt he looked pretty sharp and built on it during the weekend. Perhaps some players just take a little longer to get used to it.
Later, he said, “We just look at the boy when he steps onto the pitch and expect everything from him from the first minute. We’re humans.” He has acknowledged that he has had some difficulty getting settled in.
“As I mentioned earlier, Livingston contributed an assist in that match, popping up with a wonderful pass for Kyogo’s goal (against St Johnstone). He gets himself on the scoresheet, and it seems like he’s turned a small corner with his confidence as well.”
Kuhn’s tendency to cut inside and beat his marker has undoubtedly given the Celtic attack a little more vigor, and his ability to work effectively with talisman Furuhashi should only help things in the next weeks.
Celtic has struggled to penetrate from wide areas this season, but now that the Bhoys have scored 14 goals in their previous three home games, we seem to have alternatives on either side. This has coincided with an improvement in Celtic’s offensive fortunes.
Rodgers hopes to bring home two trophies by the end of May, so maybe this is a sign of things to come after the international break.
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