4 reasons Celtic suffered without Giorgos Giakoumakis at Hampden as Greek brings Leigh Griffiths twist

One of the loudest cheers from the Celtic End at Hampden at the weekend came when Kyogo Furuhashi was chucked on against Rangers.

But there should be an even bigger roar if Giorgos Giakoumakis can shrug off his sore hammy and get back in to the thick of the Premiership title fight.

It has been some turnaround for the big Greek striker. In the first half of the season Celtic fans barely noticed when he wasn’t around.

Now they are counting down the minutes until he gets back.

No one can underestimate the influence Giakoumakis now has on this team. Him being missing at Hampden was huge.

Talk about absence makes the heart grow fonder.

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The big fella is unlikely to be attempting a Cruyff turn, skinning three men before pinging one in the top corner.

But the job he does for this Celtic side is massive. There’s no doubt having Kyogo back will make a difference for the run-in.

Yet it’s Giakoumakis who dictates the entire way this team plays.

Go back a couple of seasons to when Neil Lennon won the title the season after he returned to the club.

Celtic’s charge to the title was down to a number of factors but Leigh Griffiths coming into the starting line up was right up there.

Not only did Griff bag