Winners and Losers: Leigh Griffiths | Joe Garner | The fans

By The Newsroom
Published 12th Dec 2016, 13:32 BST
Updated 14th Dec 2016, 10:54 BST
Leigh Griffiths celebrates after scoring in Celtic's 4-1 win over Partick Thistle. Picture: PALeigh Griffiths celebrates after scoring in Celtic's 4-1 win over Partick Thistle. Picture: PA
Leigh Griffiths celebrates after scoring in Celtic's 4-1 win over Partick Thistle. Picture: PA

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Joel Sked looks back at the winners and losers from the Ladbrokes Premiership weekend.

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THE WINNERS

Leigh Griffiths

With two assists and a goal, Leigh Griffiths made a strong claim for his place in the Celtic team. While Moussa Dembele found himself on the bench following one goal in his previous six matches, Griffiths got to work on the Partick Thistle backline.

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If anyone had forgotten the qualities which brought the striker 40 goals last season Griffiths, was quick to remind them. As a football player he has a exploratory mind, searching for space and probing for weak points in opposition defences.

His preferred movement was peeling to the left, into space behind Ziggy Gordon, and it was Gordon he expertly beat to set up Stuart Armstrong for Celtic’s opening goal. It was the inspiration the team needed as they toiled to break the Jags down barely 72 hours after playing Manchester City. He took a pass from Scott Brown into his stride, held off the Thistle defender before sending a cross skating along the corridor of uncertainty.

Griffiths is a player who tends to feel his way into a game. He often has a couple of ‘markers’ before finding the net. We have witnessed, in games against Lithuania and Slovakia for Scotland, and against City on Tuesday, Griffiths gets good chances off the bench but doesn’t quite have the sharpness to score. With minutes under his belt against Thistle he was not going to pass up the chance to get the goal his play deserved.

He was sharp to read Adam Barton’s intentions of trying to control and play out from the back. He spun away with a fine touch, opened his body and made no mistake.

“I try and stretch teams, I try and link play as much as I can, dart in behind and most importantly get goals,” Griffiths told BBC post-match.

He is a different prospect to Dembele, who prefers the ball into his feet rather than running in behind. Brendan Rodgers has two different but excellent options, and there is certainly a case to be made that Griffiths may be more adequate in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

Interestingly, however, Rodgers said “I’ve nothing in my contract that says I have to play Leigh Griffiths.”

With plenty of games coming in the next 18 days we’ll likely see both doing their damnedest to outshine, and outscore, the other.

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