Lethal Leigh firing on all cylinders

Leigh Griffiths has been a pivotal player for the Hoops this season, but none could have imagined the free flowing Scot’s scoring form.

The red-hot striker has netted 20 times in 29 appearances for the Celtic this campaign, and if he continues this form, he will surpass 30 goals for the entire season.

But just how important is Griffiths to the Celtic side? Well, when the forward has scored this season, the Hoops have gone on to win 15 matches and have drawn one game lost one. That solitary defeat came at the hands of Aberdeen, back in September, when he opened the scoring from the penalty spot. He also netted in Celtic’s 2-2 draw against Fenerbahce at Paradise.

To emphasise more on his importance to the team, in games where he hasn’t scored or in those he hasn’t featured in this season, Celtic have won only six out of a possible 17 matches. The striker not only plays an important part in the starting XI, but his presence and goal threat really does help the Celtic team push forward and put teams on the backfoot.

For Ronny Deila, it’s been a simple case of this. If Leigh Griffiths isn’t on form, then the side really does face a struggle to find the net. What’s impressed many Celtic fans is his maturity and his work rate off the ball, which has given him the deserved rewards this season.

When the striker signed for the Hoops back in 2014, many questioned whether or not it was the right move by Neil Lennon and the board, to bring in a player who had been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons in the past. However under Ronny Deila, he has matured and become a more complete striker. There is still a possibility more improvement, but the Norwegian deserves credit for helping turn Griffiths’ Celtic career around.

The Scot, who is aiming to finish as the league’s top goalscorer, has not gone three games without scoring this season, showing that he is performing on a consistent basis. He recently signed a new contract with the club until 2021, and will hopefully be here in seasons to come, because if Celtic want to get stronger, they will need to start holding onto their best players.