Celtic 3-5-2 Formation Could Unleash This Frightening First XI

The Celtic 3-5-2 formation could give Martin O’Neill an incredibly exciting starting XI if everyone is fully fit and available.

Looking at the players Celtic now have, there is serious attacking potential in this system.

Viljami Sinisalo would start in goal, with Kieran Tierney, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston forming the back three.

That defensive unit has pace, experience and aggression. Tierney and Johnston are also comfortable moving into wider areas when Celtic have possession.

Celtic 3-5-2 formation could unleash the attack

The midfield five is where things become particularly interesting.

Callum McGregor would sit centrally and dictate the game. Oliver Sørensen and Benjamin Nygren could operate ahead of him, giving Celtic energy, creativity and forward running.

Then you have Jota on the left and Haissem Hassan on the right.

That is seriously attacking.

Both wide players could push high when Celtic have possession, effectively turning the system into something approaching a front four.

Ahead of them would be Kasper Høgh and Camilo Duran.

Playing two strikers gives Celtic another dimension. Instead of one forward battling two centre-backs, Høgh and Duran could work together, attack crosses and create space for one another.

There are echoes of the attacking principles Ange Postecoglou brought to Celtic: width, overloads and getting as many dangerous players forward as possible, although his primary Celtic system was generally a 4-3-3.

Celtic 3-5-2 formation creates a powerful bench

The other attraction is the strength it would leave in reserve.

Celtic would still have players such as Mika Baur, Joel van den Berg, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Yang Hyun-jun, Sebastian Tounekti, Shumaira Mheuka, Liam Scales and Auston Trusty available to change matches.

That suddenly looks like genuine depth.

The starting XI would be:

Sinisalo; Tierney, Carter-Vickers, Johnston; Jota, Sørensen, McGregor, Nygren, Hassan; Høgh, Duran.

It will not be the right formation for every game.

However, with everybody fit, I would love to see O’Neill try it.

It looks balanced, aggressive and, above all, extremely attacking.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Celtic could field an exciting 3-5-2 when everyone is fit.
• Jota and Hassan would provide huge attacking width.
• Høgh and Duran could finally give Celtic a genuine two-striker partnership.
• The formation would also leave O’Neill with an extremely strong bench.