Ladbrokes premiership McGarvey: Griffiths is still best striker at Parkhead
LEIGH GRIFFITHS is the most natural striker at Celtic, according to former Parkhead forward Frank McGarvey.
Griffiths took to social media yesterday to offer a rebuttal to his critics as he seeks to get back to full fitness. The striker hasn’t played since the end of August after an eight-month absence due to personal issues but his return to first-team duties was curtailed by a series of niggling injuries.
In that time, the trajectory of Odsonne’s Edouard’s career has been notable with the French Under-21 internationalist catching the eye with his performances for both club and country, while Vakoun Bayo has leapfrogged Griffiths in the pecking order.
McGarvey, though, has maintained that a fully-fit Griffiths can push Edouard for a regular start.
“Leigh has just got to focus on getting himself back fully fit and in the team because for me he’s the best centre-forward at Parkhead,” said McGarvey.
“I like Edouard. He’s maturing all the time and he’s coming into being a nice centre-forward. He’s a good player as well – but Griffiths has proved it.
“But if you want to be a good forward you need to prove it week in week out and right now Griffiths is not doing that and Edouard is.
“So Edouard should be choice.”
And McGarvey has told Griffiths that he needs to get back to playing regularly since Scotland’s need for a striker exposed to the rigours of European football is pressing.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke called up Championship striker Lawrence Shankland for this week’s European qualifiers against Russia and San Marino, an indication of the lack of options at the disposal of Clarke.
And McGarvey believes that, despite the length of time Griffiths has been out with personal issues and physical ailments, his natural ability is sufficient to get him back onto the pitch and playing at the highest level, despite the length of time he has been out.
“If you have got it you have got it – first and Leigh Griffiths has got it,” said McGarvey. “He’s proved he’s a striker capable of playing at the highest level.
“The two goals he scored against England at Hampden were outstanding. He’s a great finisher. He’s got so much going for him. I think he’s maybe got a wee bit of the ‘poor me’ and he has to try to get out of that and get back into the first team.
“He has had problems and I can understand what he is going through. But he has got to get himself back.
“He’s a fantastic finisher and a brilliant player and it’s up to him to get back and be first choice. Whether he can do that is entirely up to him. Can he come back given his problems and how long he has been out?
“Yes, you can always come back. “Scotland are crying out for a striker right now. We need good players to become a good team.”
Hamilton Accies manager Brian Rice remarked this weekend that the gap between Celtic and Rangers and the rest is the biggest it has been for 40 years, a theory McGarvey is in full agreement with.
“I think the standard of Scottish football is now so poor that Celtic and Rangers are way ahead of everyone else,” he said. “I think it’s a straight fight between the two teams.
“I think it’s going to come down to the Old Firm games this season – and I think you have to think about goal difference being worth a point. I think it could come down to goal difference this season.”