Celtic's Northern Irish coach Brendan Rodgers gestures during a press conference at the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, on November 6, 2023, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League Group E football match against Club Atletico de Madrid. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP) (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
James Forrest is the gift that keeps on giving for Celtic, having just won the Scottish Premiership at Rugby Park yesterday to add to his amazing collection of trophies at Parkhead.
The 32-year-old has achieved an incredible feat in the contemporary era of football: he is now tied for second place among Celtic’s most decorated players, with Bobby Lennox coming in first.
With four goals in his previous five games, Forrest has scored seven goals and provided two assists from 27 appearances despite spending the majority of the season on the sidelines.
Regarding raw ability, Brendan Rodgers called Forrest Celtic’s “best winger” back in March. Given his lack of playing time at the time, several were taken aback by the statement.
And sure enough, the Irishman was right. It’s debatable if he’s the greatest wide option for the Lakers, but this is just another instance of Rodgers’ clever man-management as he manages to extract an additional 10% out of the group he has available.
There is merit to the calls for Forrest to be called up to Steve Clarke’s Scotland side for EURO 2024, and his performance at Rugby Park was classic as Celtic celebrated their 54th championship in grand fashion.
James Forrest put on a show against Kilmarnock
Per Fotmob, Forrest played 62 minutes against Kilmarnock, earning a match rating of 8.6/10. This made him Celtic’s joint-second-most productive performer at Rugby Park alongside Daizen Maeda.
Overall, the Prestwick-born man completed 31 out of his 33 attempted passes, took on four shots, laid on three chances and took 41 touches, five of which were in the opposition penalty area. He also recorded 100% crossing accuracy, so you see why his exploits deserve admiration.
Forrest added some crucial defensive support even though Celtic played the majority of the game on the attack. He made two recoveries, two interceptions, one clearance, and two more “defensive actions” in total.
To cultivate a winning culture, a successful dressing room requires an exceptional degree of professionalism. Earlier in the year, Forrest had the opportunity to complain about his lack of playing time, but instead he waited for his opportunity and hasn’t looked back.
It seems unlikely that Rodgers will bench Forrest for his team’s final two games of the campaign. Scotland’s champions, Celtic, will have their hometown star add another medal to his collection on Saturday.
