Some Celtics supporters have jumped to conclusions due to the abundance of discussion in recent weeks about Matt O’Riley going over the deep end.
That January bid from Atletico Madrid must have turned his head. His attention is being diverted by all of this talk about £25 million proposals in the summer. That doesn’t sit well with me. Well, it’s possible that O’Riley isn’t performing to the same level as he did throughout the season’s first half. Keeping up that caliber was always going to be difficult for him since he had such high expectations. At some time, there was going to be a drop off.
You must remember that it’s not simply O’Riley.But we know the recruitment in the summer and January wasn’t good enough. O’Riley has had to carry the midfield on his own at times, with Reo Hatate out long term and now Callum McGregor on the sidelines. At times it’s been Paulo Bernardo in there alongside him. Previously it was David Turnbull. There have been occasions when McGregor has pushed up and it’s been Tomoki Iwata sitting deeper. The one constant has been O’Riley and it can take its toll.Don’t forget last season either. At this time O’Riley was struggling to even get in the starting 11 as Aaron Mooy enjoyed a run of games after the new year. He’s still a young player and you’ve got to expect some inconsistency. I still believe O’Riley has been one of Celtic’s top performers this season. And I don’t think for a second his form is related to the January transfer talk. If anything, that stuff should inspire him. When you look at his performances in the Champions League, in the home games against Atletico and Lazio in particular, you’d expect more interest in him in the summer. If a big money offer comes in then I don’t think fans would grudge him a big move.I don’t think he’ll lose focus. He seems a level headed lad and didn’t throw the toys out of the pram when Celtic refused to sell him. The Atletico Madrid bid obviously wasn’t good enough and he was too important a player to let go at such a crucial time. It’s more of a coincidence his numbers have slipped slightly in terms of goals and assists but there’s no doubt he’s got a huge part to play in the run in. You are looking to your key players to stand up and be counted at this time of the season – and O’Riley definitely falls into that category. It’s going to be all hands on decks after the international break. Reo Hatate coming back will be
