Celtic’s Title Hopes Kept Alive by ‘Impact’ Substitutes Amid Forward Struggles

Celtic's pursuit of the Scottish Premiership title is being significantly supported by contributions from substitutes, as several of the team’s key forwards struggle for form The club's reliance on 'impact players' from the bench has become a defining feature of their title hunt

Among those stepping up is 24-year-old Swedish midfielder Benjamin Nygren, who has emerged as a crucial goal-scorer His ability to find the net in important moments has drawn comment from pundits, with former Celtic striker Chris Sutton describing him on Sky Sports as a "strange player" who "can go missing in midfield but comes up with goals" This assessment has been borne out by his recent performances, where he has delivered as a substitute

Former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan also praised Nygren's recent contributions, highlighting a specific instance where he linked up with James Forrest to score "The impact substitutes you've seen... we've seen that time and time again and he's had a real impact in this team," Allan stated on BBC Radio Scotland

Nygren’s vital goals provide a stark contrast to the difficulties faced by other attackers in the squad Daizen Maeda has been described as a "shadow" of the player he was last season, while January loan signings Tomas Cvancara and Junior Adamu have not yet made their desired impact Meanwhile, Kelechi Iheanacho has largely been absent since his return from injury In this context, Nygren’s performances are proving indispensable to Celtic's campaign