Celtic Fan View: Dembele back to his old self as Hoops reach another final

Another day at Hampden awaits Celtic next month. Another win, another tally in the unbeaten column, another final and another chance to add silverware to the trophy cabinet. It’s the third time in a year the Hoops will contest a final in the Brendan Rodgers era and it’s being treated as standard practice. That’s how routine his side make winning look.

The Northern Irish coach put the achievement down to the mental strength of his squad. “What’s really pleasing is the mentality. In this last year, they’ve wrote history at the club by winning three trophies in one season and obviously going unbeaten. But our mentality is to keep re-writing history and we’re only at the beginning of the cycle now,” he said.

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The 90 minutes against Hibs on Saturday was the perfect snapshot of how strong this team is. After a gruelling night in the Allianz Arena they bounced back so well in what was a largely controlled display. Even after conceding twice to allow the Hibees back in the game they picked themselves up and finished the Edinburgh outfit off. The attitude among the group is relentless physically and mentally.

It’s worth remembering Celtic suffered a number of poor results at the national stadium in the last few years whether it be in semi-finals or finals. But since Rodgers’ arrival they have recorded five wins out of five at Hampden. And akin to their previous visits under the former Liverpool boss, Moussa Dembele was at the heart of the success.

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The young Frenchman’s record at Hampden is excellent. In four matches he has an assist and four goals- two of which were scored in Saturday’s 4-2 triumph. His performance was one of purpose and clear focus when he was subbed on for Leigh Griffiths on 60 minutes. He looks like he’s getting back to his best which is a welcome sight for all Bhoys supporters.

Last season was incredible for the 21-year-old. As the lead striker he was at the forefront of the club’s unbeaten domestic treble campaign having hit a super 29 goals in all competitions. He impressed in the Champions League as well which attracted interest from a few of Europe’s elite clubs. A price tag of £30 million was even mentioned in the media as comparisons with Henrik Larsson also surfaced.

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Injuries at the back of last term and knocks at the start of this one, however, prevented Dembele from maintaining and improving on that momentum. He’d only found the net once before his brace at the weekend but the signs were promising just as they were when he was subbed on at Bayern Munich.

The ex Fulham striker was really sharp, he pressed well while his hold up play and link up was impressive. He provided that extra edge Celtic were missing with Griffiths on the pitch which completely eradicated any chance of a Hibs comeback. His finishing, meanwhile, was composed and cold blooded and if we’re being super critical he should have secured his hat-trick.

Just like last season he was the inspiration the team needed but this should only mark the start of another fruitful period for the forward.