Moussa Dembele or Leigh Griffiths? It’s a question that has been asked of Brendan Rodgers more than once over the course of his tenure as Celtic manager. It was posed all the way throughout his first season in charge of the Glasgow club, with the Northern Irishman favouring Dembele until the Frenchman suffered an injury in March. Since then, Griffiths has been the main man.
Indeed, the Scotland international has been in scintillating form for the Hoops over the early part of the 2017/18 campaign, almost carrying Celtic to the group stages of the Champions League with his exerts in qualification. Griffiths has, over the past few weeks and months, become the face of Rodgers’ side.
But now Dembele is back from injury, with the 21-year-old finding the net in the weekend’s win over Ross County. The Frenchman is widely considered to be one of the brightest young strikers in the European game, with a number of Premier League giants reported to be monitoring him. Many view him to be of a higher calibre than Griffiths.
So with the first Old Firm derby of the season looming on Saturday, Rodgers has a familiar decision to make - does he go with Dembele or Griffiths? There will be much debating of that very question in the lead up to the game against Rangers at Ibrox, but why can’t Celtic play both?
The Hoops put down an early maker against their great rivals with a 5-0 win in September last year, illustrating the gulf in class between the two sides. Rangers never really recovered from that result, with a cycle set in motion that ended with Joey Barton leaving the club and manager Mark Warburton following him not long after.
Q: Moussa loves a Glasgow derby goal, how much of a boost is it to have him back ahead of Saturday's game?
Now, Celtic can deliver a similar sort of blow to Pedro Caixinha. The Portuguese coach is already struggling as Rangers manager, even if there are fleeting signs of the team he is building coming together. He will view this weekend as an opportunity to show that the gap has narrowed, but therein lies the chance for Celtic too.
This is why Rodgers should start both Dembele and Griffiths together. It might take a tactical tweak or two, but the Northern Irishman tested out a system with the two strikers as an orthodox attacking partnership against Ross County. The results were positive, with the Hoops seeing off the Stages with little fuss.
Rangers’ defence is undermining the progress they have made in the attacking areas, and so Rodgers would be advised to go for the throat. By playing both Dembele and Griffiths, Celtic could establish a platform high up the pitch, keeping the pressure on the home side. It could be wave after wave of attack.
Dembele and Griffiths are a different sort of striker, with the former more of an orthodox frontman and the latter a hub of activity more likely to run the channels. So there is scope for both players to strike up an understanding, playing to each others’ strengths.
Of course, questions have been asked of Celtic’s own defence of late, with Paris Saint-Germain brutally exposing their deficiencies at the back. In that, there is some hope for Rangers, but they might not get close to the Celtic goal if they have to handle both Dembele and Griffiths. Just like last season, this is a chance for the Hoops to drag down their rivals.
