The verdict on Adam Idah's tough night against England as Celtic ...
It was always a tall order for Adam Idah’s Republic of Ireland to get a result against England this weekend, so the 2-0 win for the away side wasn’t much of a surprise.
England powered to a Nations League victory thanks to two first-half goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish, with Ireland offering little in response.
Celtic forward Idah was given the nod over Brighton star Evan Ferguson, who is still getting back to full fitness following an ankle injury earlier this year.
With the Bhoys facing a gauntlet of eight Champions League games this season it was an opportunity to see how Idah does up against elite opposition.
READ MORE: Celtic’s Most Expensive Signings of All-TimeLack of service hurts Adam Idah display vs EnglandIn truth, it’s hard to draw too many conclusions about Idah in a Celtic context from this one match, mainly due to how isolated he was from the rest of his teammates.
As you’d expect, England dominated possession, so the opportunities for Idah to even get on the ball were few and far between.
Despite featuring for 75 minutes, Idah only managed to make 18 touches of the ball, one of which was in the England box. That demonstrates just how difficult it was for him to get involved in any meaningful attacking way.
The striker will be disappointed to have lost out in all eight of his duels, not finding much joy against an England backline that included Marc Guehi, Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Levi Colwill.
So, while it’s true that there was a lack of service, he didn’t personally manage to get a foothold in the game for his teammates, or hold up the ball effectively, either.
Brendan Rodgers knows how to get the best out of IdahThankfully, the Celtic manager knows how to make Idah tick and, even in the Champions League, the striker will be far more useful to the Bhoys throughout the season than he was for Ireland tonight.
Celtic will be much more competitive in all their matches than Ireland were against their visitors and we know Idah can come alive in our surroundings.
We’ve yet to see the best of the striker since his big-money move from Norwich City but hopes are still high that he can make a strong impact this term after scoring nine goals in 17 appearances on loan last season.
Tonight’s run-out can be seen as a step forward in his match fitness and readiness. Hopefully, he can return to the Bhoys firing for the challenges ahead.
Liam Scales was also part of the Ireland squad for this fixture but did not get any game time off the bench.
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