Celtic are one of many European clubs anxiously waiting for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The tournament takes place mid-season, meaning that participating players must miss club action to represent their countries.
This is… not the best news for Celtic’s attack, given that Kelechi Iheanacho, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Sebastian Tounekti are all in with a good chance of participating at the tournament.
The tournament begins on December 21st, with initial requirement for players to leave their club duties before the eighth. This meant that Celtic’s representatives could feasibly miss ten games for the club.
But this has changed after a last-minute FIFA announcement.
Celtic affected by last-minute AFCON change by FIFA
The tournament, being staged in Morocco, understandably takes priority for players over their clubs.
The winter schedule is a controversial topic, but is undoubtedly justifiable from both weather and visibility perspectives.
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The December 8th cut-off seems a bit excessive, given the tournament’s start date – and this has been recognised by FIFA.
The governing body has now announced that the date has been changed to the 15th, making Tounekti, Iheanacho and Balikwisha available for an additional two games.
And it isn’t just any two games – it’s the Europa League clash against Roma and the Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren.
Players can still be released earlier if an agreement is reached between the clubs and federations – but given the importance of these two fixtures, don’t expect to see Celtic entertain this.
The news is music to the ears of Wilfried Nancy, who will be desperate to get off to a strong start given the momentum built up under Martin O’Neill.
But once the players do go away for the tournament, Nancy will face a few squad dilemmas.
How will Wilfried Nancy deal with losing Celtic players to AFCON?
Of course, we don’t yet know if Nancy will instantly implement his 3-4-3 system at Celtic, just as Ruben Amorim infamously did at Manchester United.
What we do know is that he was exclusively wedded to it in Columbus. The system sees Celtic operate a narrow front-three a striker with two number 10s, rather than the touchline wingers of the team’s current 4-3-3.
This shape could lend itself to Benjamin Nygren, who has looked awkward when pushed into the 4-3-3 this season. On the left side, it could be Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Yang Hyun-Jun or anyone else in the absence of Tounekti and Balikwisha… anyone’s guess, really.
With Iheanacho unavailable, Maeda may remain central, keeping Johnny Kenny on the bench. And let’s not forget that Shin Yamada still exists…
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