It wasn’t exactly a dream start to life in the Celtic hot seat for John Kennedy, but just earning three points feels like an achievement right now for The Hoops.
Saturday marked the beginning of a new era at Parkhead, one without Neil Lennon.
This was their first match since the Irishman resigned from his post last Wednesday and with that in mind, there was a renewed sense of positivity. Of course, Rangers will go on and win the title barring a major miracle, but at least Lennon is no longer at the helm.
It feels unlikely that Kennedy will be given the reins on a permanent basis but you can’t accuse him of not being bold.
When the Bhoys took on Aberdeen on Saturday, he fielded an interesting two-prong attack. Odsonne Edouard continued in his role but next to him was the enigmatic Patryk Klimala.
The striker’s last start for Celtic came in the middle of December when he featured against Lille in the Europa League but you have to go back to October’s Old Firm derby for his last league start.
It has been a troubling opening year to the Pole’s stay in Glasgow and with just three goals all season, you have to wonder whether he’s up to the task of playing for The Hoops.
The 22-year-old signed in January 2020 for £3.5m on a £4.2k-per-week contract, but like Vasilis Barkas, his transfer fee hasn’t been vindicated.
He played just 15 minutes of league football last term and he’s failed to really make an impact this season either. The performance he put in against Aberdeen on Saturday was full vindication of that.
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Celtic won 1-0 but Klimala was virtually anonymous, failing to get himself into the game and as a result, he was hauled off with 65 minutes on the clock.
What typified his display was missing a golden opportunity to score. With Ryan Christie so wasteful in front of goal in midweek – firing four shots off target – this was the last thing Celtic supporters wanted to see.
Just like Christie, Klimala spurned a chance that looked easier to score with. That was one of the very few moments where the attacker had the freedom to show what he could do.
In total, the Pole had just 22 touches of the ball. That happened to be 13 fewer than goalkeeper Scott Bain. Furthermore, Klimala only managed five accurate passes in over an hour on the field.
That was the worst tally of any Celtic player on the pitch, including Bain and also Ismaila Soro, someone introduced as a substitute with only 12 minutes left to go.
This was a golden chance for Klimala to prove himself to the new regime but he failed to take it. He has to be immediately dropped back to the bench.