Griffiths should be wary of tunnel vision

Leigh Griffiths has been in fantastic form this season, racking up 20 league goals already and passing the milestone of 50 goals for Celtic faster – in terms of matches played – than anyone since Charlie Nicholas, but he has shown signs of tunnel vision.

Symptoms of the condition showed themselves during Saturday’s 3-1 win over St. Johnstone as Griffiths – particularly in the second half – as he snatched at a handful of opportunities and elected to shoot on a few occasions when team-mates looked to be in better positions.

There is no question that Griffiths is a hugely talented striker who has in the last two seasons, worked hard, avoided unwanted off-field controversies and reaped the rewards. Succeeding around a year ago in nudging cocky on-loan Swede John Guidetti towards his current location in the ‘Where Are They Now?’ file (scoring very occasionally for Celta Vigo is the answer, in case anyone cares), and progressing to become arguably Celtic’s most important player this season. His goal scoring exploits have seen him linked with big-money moves to the likes of, erm, Brighton (the kind of transfer rumour which he puts to bed himself before it even exists).

@alisaheron im going nowhere

— LG9️⃣ (@Leighgriff09) January 23, 2016

Yet it’s fair to say he remains far from the finished product.

The determination and ambition Griffiths has shown in developing his career and firing himself into the Celtic record books perhaps also manifests itself in a single-mindedness which the Premiership’s top scorer showed against St. Johnstone, as his obvious determination to add to his impressive goal tally was probably detrimental to the team’s overall play at times.

Griffiths himself is likely well aware of his weaknesses; frustrating games like Saturday’s will serve as a reminder, as do some less than clinical European performances, when the striker – along with most of his teammates – struggled with the step up in opposition. But if he maintains the same consistency in fully applying himself as he has done under Ronny Deila at Celtic and continues to show new-found maturity off the field.

And Celtic fans will be reassured that, for the foreseeable future, he will be at the club, at least if the man himself gets a say in it.