CELTIC didn’t switch to the 4-4-2 formation that so many members of their support long to see Brendan Rodgers deploy when Leigh Griffiths came on with 20 minutes of the Betfred Cup semi-final remaining yesterday.

No, Griffiths took over from Moussa Dembele as the lone striker and his team mate dropped behind him to take on the role that Tom Rogic, who had just been substituted, had been performing in the 4-2-3-1 system that Rodgers favours.

Nevertheless, the presence of Dembele and Griffiths, both lethal finishers and prolific scorers, on the same park together at Hampden was, unless you are of a Rangers persuasion, refreshing for many traditionalists to see.

Read more: Moussa Dembele: I can play better for Celtic - and score even more goals against RangersThe Herald:

The fact that both men were involved in the winning goal – Griffiths set up Dembele for the back heel which sent the Parkhead club into the final with three minutes of regulation time remaining – means it is an experiment which could well be repeated.

The aversion that so many managers have to playing two strikers up front in the modern game is the source of huge frustration to many fans. But, slowly but surely, that trend is being bucked with some noteworthy results.

Atletico Madrid beat Barcelona and Real Madrid to La Liga in Spain and made it through to two Champions League finals in three years using either a 4-4-2 or a 4-4-1-1 formation under Diego Simeone.

Read more: Moussa Dembele: I can play better for Celtic - and score even more goals against Rangers

Leicester City, meanwhile, stunned English football last season to land the Barclays Premier League against all the odds with Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki complementing each other beautifully in attack.

Elsewhere, Burnley also won the Skybet Championship last month using what many had dismissed as an archaic formation. They have more than held their own with it in the Premier League with it in recent months too.

Celtic have certainly done well with a 4-2-3-1 both domestically and in Europe this season. James Forrest, Scott Sinclair and Kieran Tierney have cause opposition teams all kinds of problems out wide and Rogic has often been their outstanding performer through the middle.

But surely there is scope to change it occasionally? In Ladbrokes Premiership matches especially given how much they dominate their opponents. Playing Dembele and Griffiths together would put rival centre backs under extreme pressure and excite supporters.

Pep Guardiola didn’t select a recognised striker in his Manchester City side which took to the field in the Nou Camp against Barcelona in a Champions League group game on Wednesday night. The outcome? His side was soundly thrashed 4-0. Perhaps he should have gone with a 4-4-2.

Maybe Rodgers should as well. Dembele and Griffiths certainly have the potential to form a great strike partnership.

AND ANOTHER THING

THESE are difficult times for Davie Moyes at Sunderland.

The 1-0 defeat his charges suffered to West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday left them rooted to the bottom of the Barclays Premier League. With just two wins in their opening nine games, it is their worst start ever in the division. It is still only October, but the situation is already looking ominous for the Scot.

Martin Bain, the former Rangers chief executive who now performs the same role at the Stadium of Light, spoke out in defence of his countryman, who was appointed in the summer last week and stressed that together they had to “build and take a long-term approach”.

Read more: Moussa Dembele: I can play better for Celtic - and score even more goals against Rangers

The performance of Manchester United since Moyes left two years ago has suggested he should perhaps have been given more time Old Trafford. If the Sunderland board and supporters have any sense they will keep faith and allow him to adequately address the situation he inherited.

But the 53-year-old, who lasted less than a year at United and little more than that at Real Sociedad in Spain, appreciates only too well he must deliver results in order to remain in his job. The league game with Arsenal at home this weekend will be vital to his future.

The travails of the 53-year-old since leaving Everton, where he overachieved for a decade and was named English Manager of the Year on four separate occasions, in 2013 underline how quickly fortunes can change in management.

ONE LAST THING

The peerless Archie Macpherson picked out his six most memorable Old Firm games from over 60 years of commentating on Scottish football in these pages on Saturday as part of our preview package for the Betfred Cup semi-final between Celtic and Rangers.

Archie judiciously opted for two Celtic wins (the 1969 Scottish Cup final and the 1979 title decider), two Rangers triumphs (the 1966 and 1973 Scottish Cup finals) and two draws (league games in 1967 and 1986).

His diplomacy was duly noted by many online readers. Alas, one of them also worked out that “Celtic win 16-12 on aggregate”. An indication of where the venerable broadcaster’s allegiances really lie? I think we should be told.