Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will have to consider several potential decisions this week as his side prepare to face Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.
The Irishman is never shy about making calls that don’t fit with the wider public consciousness, which is probably why he has a list of lengthy achievements in management at Parkhead and further afield.
Back in March, Rodgers labelled James Forrest as the ‘best winger’ currently at Celtic, which was an opinion scoffed at by some amid his limited involvement over periods of the campaign.
Nevertheless, the 32-year-old has become a resurgent presence on the flank, registering six goals and one assist in 25 appearances across all competitions, with three in his last three outings [Transfermarkt].
Despite injury niggles over the last few years, Forrest now appears to be fit and ready to contribute, even if he has needed to slightly refine his game to value ball progression over directly bursting past defenders at every opportunity.
Reliability under pressure is crucial in a title race, so having someone who has been over the course so many times lending his experience on the pitch and in the dressing room is invaluable for the wider group.
With Rangers on the horizon this weekend, it remains to be seen whether he has done enough to earn a start, given that Nicolas Kuhn, Luis Palma, Daizen Maeda, Luis Palma and Hyunjun Yang are also waiting in the wings.
Peter Grant on James Forrest and his potential to start vs Rangers
Forrest’s consistency has led to calls for his inclusion in Scotland’s EURO 2024 squad; however, the veteran winger will be focused on taking care of matters closer to home before any international call-up discussion.
Former Celtic midfielder Peter Grant has revealed his preference would be to see Forrest start off the left against Rangers if he gets the nod; meanwhile, he also put forward a suggestion that January signing Kuhn could be the man to make way for Daizen Maeda live on the Go Radio Football Show.
Explaining some of the dilemmas to weigh up within Rodgers’ tactical framework on Saturday, he stated: “Maeda does very well against James Tavernier, and everybody looks at that, but I’m looking at this and thinking to myself, the last few games that James (Forrest) has played, I prefer him on the left. I think he’s more effectual on there at this moment in time.
“When he moves to the right-hand side, it takes a little bit away from the game because he’s not going to fly by you on the outside. He never was that type of winger anyway, but I think because he can hit the target, he can score goals, he’s created chances, he’s been really positive in everything he’s done.
“What I like about him is that when he steps in on his right foot, he looks to pass forward, and that’s a big change because even the one that bounced off him, off Kyogo, and back up last week (vs Dundee), it was him that started it, and at the end of it, he’s smashing it into the net.
“When he goes to the right-hand side, I don’t think he’s effectual, so it’ll be interesting whether he swings Maeda round or starts Maeda because, to be fair to him, he looked fit when he came on.
“Whether he starts with Maeda and leaves Kuhn out, does it become Forrest on the right-hand side and then Maeda?”
Forrest and Maeda may be ideal for Celtic against Rangers
Balancing the need for endeavour and experience, starting Forrest and Maeda on either side may offer Celtic a sense of reliability heading into the Glasgow Derby.
In the case of Maeda, his ability to cause major problems for James Tavernier has to be capitalised on, something fans witnessed in full view during the 3-3 draw at Ibrox last month as he got on the scoresheet.
On the other hand, Forrest is in a rich vein of form and offers a useful outlet on the flank, as he rarely surrenders possession and carries plenty of creative inspiration.
Rodgers knows what is at stake this weekend and will have done his homework regarding where his side can look to exploit Rangers with the backing of a fired-up home support.