Sead Haksabanovic has lit up his first season at Celtic with little cameos.
But Hampden on Sunday may well offer him his biggest chance to take centre stage. The strength of boss Ange Postecoglou’s set-up is its variety. An ability for non-regular starters or subs to make a huge impact. Competition for places and a drive to deliver when called upon mean the machine rarely falters even when one or two key parts aren’t functioning or in the repair shop.
No one, perhaps Callum McGregor apart, is guaranteed a start. But it’s obvious that some are going to feature more than others and Haksabanovic has, for the majority of the campaign, had to wait his turn. With Jota in explosive mood as soon as the campaign kicked off, Liel Abada causing mayhem with doubles against Rangers and a hat-trick at Dundee United, there was no need for the Montenegrin to sparkle instantly after his August switch from Rubin Kazan.
Daizen Maeda was also doing the business and the evergreen James Forrest contributed hugely in those opening months of the season. Nonetheless, Haksabanovic still took his opportunities. There was an early indicator of his value when Postecoglou plunged him into the line-up for the away tie against Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday two of the Champions League. Again, when Jota wasn’t fit for the home encounters against RB Leipzig and the Ukranians, the manager went to Haksabanovic. He started half the group games.
By the end of that Europe run leading up to the shutdown for Qatar, Haksabanovic really began to stamp a serious mark. His first two goals for the club against United were important in a thrilling 4-2 win. Just seven days later in the last game before the World Cup, Haksabanovic again shone with a sublime winning goal in the victory over Ross County which took Celtic into the break with a league lead of nine points.
It seemed to all intents and purposes that the mid-December return of the club game was going to be the moment when Haksabanovic really stepped on the gas. Yet the truth is that it hasn’t really panned out in the way many observers felt it might. Instead of being sapped by his Qatar exploits, Maeda came back even better. Haksabanovic, on the other hand, was slower to get restarted.
Games were missed due to little injuries. Sub appearances and short bursts again became the regular theme. Indeed, it was almost three months after the season resumption before the 23-year-old made a return to the starting line-up for the Scottish Cup success over Hearts at Tynecastle in the second week of March.
While unable to nail down that regular starting slot, the creative force and cutting edge has still flashed out. One spectacular finish against Hearts to seal a comeback win was the type of special effort of which Haksabanovic is fully capable. Another the following week against Hibs sandwiched that start in Gorgie.
With Abada and Forrest still absent, starts have come in the past two games against Kilmarnock and Motherwell in the absence of Jota. The Portuguese is fighting to be ready for Hampden but even if he makes it, his absence from those past two matches make it unlikely he’ll see out of the full course. That means, in some form, Haksabanovic will get another huge opportunity no matter whether it’s from bench or the start.
Even in just six minutes plus stoppage time as sub, the signs were there in the last Hampden outing against Rangers as he used his craft to take advantage of spaces late in the game. Quite how he didn’t manage to pick his spot past Allan McGregor and add a third goal in the closing stages of the 2-1 Viaplay Cup Final win for his team remains a Hampden mystery. But time and again in Rangers matches under Postecoglou, Celtic have been able to get in behind and exploit left-back Borna Barisic.
The Rangers man has had Abada steal in behind him to score goals, Jota has done exactly the same thing and Kyogo Furuhashi was across the Croatian to knock home the eventual winner from a left-flank delivery in February’s Viaplay Cup Final. At some stage of Sunday’s showdown, Haksabanovic is going to be roaming an area which has been hugely fruitful to Celtic in Old Firm meetings over the past 15 months and the door can open for him to have that all-important big derby moment.
Attacking team-mates such as Furuhashi, Jota, Abada and Maeda have made the crucial impact in the country’s biggest fixture. So have individuals such as Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley and Alistair Johnston. Yes, five goals in a debut term is a decent return for Haksabanovic, especially given 12 of his 34 appearances have come as a starter. But Sunday could well offer the golden opportunity to make his biggest mark yet.
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