In one of the worst kept secrets in Scottish football, Celtic are scoring goals left, right and centre, literally as they sweep all before them on their way to 9-in-a-row.
A report in The Scottish Sun reveals that the Hoops have already surpassed last season’s total and still have at least 15 games left to play, Neil Lennon’s side have scored a staggering 122 goals in 46 games already this season compared to 121 goals in 63 games last season.
The goal tally will be helped in no small part by the 27 goals scored since returning after the winter break during which time Lennon has gone all out attack with both Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths leading the line.
The Parkhead gaffer remains focussed on the task in hand despite his nearest “rivals” capitulating once more to give his side a ten point advantage in the Scottish Premiership:
“We just have to keep the tunnel vision now and not worry about what anyone else is doing.”
“There’s going to be a bump in the road here and there. I said that in the first half of the season. It will be the same in the second half of the season as well.”
Not only is his team poised to break recent goal-scoring records – Brendan Rodgers best season was 150 – they are heavy favourites to win yet another treble to make it four in total in a feat that will surely never be matched.
One major improvement since the turn of the year has been the form of Olivier Ntcham after he was given the number 10 slot behind the dynamic duo due to the absence of Ryan Christie, the fact that he is keeping a player on the bench who scored 18 goals and has 15 assists to his name in the first half of the season is testament to the level of performance he is producing.
Lennon has achieved the perfect balance of defence and attack and now has the flexibility to change shape during a game without having to make substitutes, knowing that his side are adept in either formation.
Is Lennon's 2020 Celtic the best Hoops side since Martin O'Neill's treble winners?
Yes
No
It would now take a serious collapse or injury crisis for the champions not to retain their title, even in the first half of the season they only dropped points on two occasions – against Livingston and Hibernian – and there were “mitigating factors” in both those games, much was made of Lennon’s appointment but he has proved the doubters – and plenty Celtic fans amongst them – comprehensively wrong.