Brendan Rodgers has the chance to win the domestic treble this afternoon when his Celtic team takes to the field to face Aberdeen in the SFA Cup final at Hampden Park.
The Hoops have already won the Scottish Premiership title and the League Cup, which they won on penalties against Rangers, and they can clinch a third domestic trophy with a win today.
Rodgers failed to win the treble in his first season back in the dugout at Parkhead, winning the Premiership and the SFA Cup in the 2023/24 campaign, but now has the chance to make it five trophies out of six at domestic level since the summer of 2023.
The Northern Irish head coach’s team were held to a 1-1 draw at home to St. Mirren on the final day of the Premiership campaign, as James Forrest scored a stoppage-time equaliser.
Rodgers may look to make some changes to the starting XI that took to the field against St. Mirren at Parkhead for this cup final clash, and Adam Idah is one player who could be ruthlessly ditched by the former Liverpool manager.
Why Adam Idah should be dropped
The Ireland international lined up against St. Mirren as the starting centre-forward and was withdrawn from the action after 54 minutes without a single shot on goal.
His underwhelming performance last time out, which included just six successful passes, may cost him a place in the starting XI for the cup final, particularly given his record coming off the bench for the Hoops.
Idah has only started 21 of his 42 domestic appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants so far this season, which shows that he has failed to nail down a place as a regular starter under Rodgers, despite Kyogo Furuhashi’s move to Rennes on a permanent deal in the January transfer window.
The former Norwich City marksman, who signed for Celtic on a permanent deal last summer after an initial loan spell at Parkhead, has had more joy off the bench in the Premiership for the Bhoys this term.
Appearances
19
16
Minutes
1,352
357
Goals
6
7
Minutes per goal
225
51
Assists
0
1
As you can see in the table above, Idah has scored more goals and delivered more assists in just under 1,000 fewer minutes on the pitch in the top-flight off the bench in comparison to as a starter.
These statistics suggest that the Irishman is more effective as a super sub for the Scottish giants, which is also backed up by his role in the SFA Cup last year, as he came off the bench to score the winning goal against Rangers in the 90th minute at the end of his loan spell.
Therefore, the data would suggest that Rodgers could increase his team’s chances of coming away with the win and the treble by ruthlessly dropping Idah to the bench, as it could make him more effective as an option this afternoon.
This would provide Daizen Maeda, who has scored 14 goals in ten matches as a striker this season, with an opportunity to play through the middle as the main striker.
The Japan international starting over Idah in the centre-forward position would open up a spot on the wing for another player to join him and Nicolas Kuhn in the front three. That position should be filled by club legend James Forrest.
Why James Forrest should start against Aberdeen
In order for Idah to fulfill his role as a super substitute, Rodgers will need to bring another winger into the side and his options are currently limited because Jota is missing with a knee injury, which he sustained in the win over Dundee United last month.
Forrest could be the ideal option to come in to start this match because he is coming off the back of a confidence-lifting goal against St. Mirren on the final day of the Premiership season, a goal which means that he has scored in 16 different seasons for the first-team.
As you can see in the clip above, the Scottish forward blew the roof off Parkhead with his last-gasp strike, which was pretty much the last touch he had in the Premiership season to avoid ending his streak of seasons with at least one goal.
Forrest should, now, be rewarded with a start against Aberdeen, whom he scored against in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup last season, on the left flank, with Kuhn on the right and Maeda through the middle as the number nine.
That would then allow Idah to come on for Forrest in the second half as a super sub option, which would free up Maeda to move out wide, and that gives Rodgers tactical flexibility off the bench in the second half if things are not going Celtic’s way this afternoon.
It would be unfair, though, to suggest that the Scottish veteran would only be starting because of tactical reasons or because of Idah’s impact off the bench, because he is a quality player in his own right who could make a big impact at the top end of the pitch.
SFA Cup
41
11
11
League Cup
33
12
6
Premiership
336
73
74
Champions League
30
1
3
Europa League
31
1
7
As you can see in the table above, the 33-year-old forward has a particularly impressive record in the SFA Cup in his career, with 22 goals and assists combined in 41 appearances.
Forrest was once described as a “difference-maker” by Rodgers and that is backed up by his statistics in this competition, as he has delivered goals and assists on a regular basis.
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He should now be given an opportunity to add to that record in the clash at Hampden Park against Aberdeen this afternoon, by being named in the starting XI ahead of Idah.
This could, therefore, win the treble for Rodgers by both giving Forrest a chance to make an impact in the final third, whilst also getting the best out of the Irish striker off the bench.