THE best move of Thursday’s match between Celtic and Ajax was a fine example of intelligent and adventurous football which didn’t actually result in a goal.

Just on the hour of the Europa League tie, Celtic quickly and accurately shifted the ball from just outside their own penalty area through the midfield and to Kris Commons in at an attacking position, who not for the first time had drifted into space in the final third in order that a team-mate could pass to him.

Before Ajax could do much about it, Commons floated a perfect pass some 40 yards and more over the heads of several Dutchman to Leigh Griffiths. The ball could not have been placed better for the left-footed striker, whose volley hit the side-netting, if his team-mate had literally handed it to him.

And as soon as it happened, Celtic supporters watching it on television and those 1300 in the Amsterdam ArenA came together in once voice and asked: “Why the hell does Commons not play every week?”

It is a fair enough question.

Commons created five chances in Amsterdam, either from open play or his delivery at corners. Two resulted in goals. He is just about the only Celtic player who could have played that ball to Griffiths and who could have taken a touch, beat a man and then laid the ball into Nir Bitton’s path within the same movement of his body, which was the case at the first goal.

Oh sure, there are times the Celtic man shoots when a pass to someone else would do, however, things tend to happen when the ball is at his feet. He brings people into the game. It would be interesting to see him play No10 on Sunday against Dundee.

Every manager in football makes selection decisions that leaves those of us on the outside of the thought process scratching our heads in disbelief, and since the start of the season, Ronny Deila has given off the impression, and I don’t think it has been miss-read, that he wasn’t sure what his best team was.

From those available for the opening match of the Europa League campaign, the eleven he fielded did feel like his strongest side. It does make you wonder why it took him so long to get to here.

Leigh Griffiths couldn’t get a game in Europe in the first couple of rounds because Nadir Ciftci was preferred as the lone front man. It was an odd decision made even odder now given the Turk was on the bench at Aberdeen, the first domestic game he could play in, and on Thursday night he wasn’t seen at all.

Ciftci was always going to need time to settle because of the stop-start nature to the early weeks of his Celtic career. So why was he picked over Griffiths who guarantees hard work and goals?

Then there was the Charlie Mulgrew at left-back experiment, one that should never be repeated. Mulgrew is a fine football, much better than given credit for, but he is not a left-back. The game in Malmo proved that beyond doubt.

Gary Mackay-Steven, who has not carried his pre-season form into the campaign, and James Forrest have alternated roles on either wing. The latter can be brilliant but is still striving for consistency. Stuart Armstrong has been good and has been missed through his injury, while we are all waiting to see what Scott Allan is going to do.

And then there is that defence. Jozo Simunovic made his debut in Holland and considering he is just here did fine. Although given the problems regarding keeping clean sheets, more work does need done back there.

So you can understand to an extent why Deila is midway into September without a first choice team settled in his mind.

And so we return to Commons who is 17 goals away from hitting 100 for Celtic in just over five-and-a-half seasons at the club. That’s a remarkable record for a midfielder who only managed one goal in first full season when Neil Lennon and he did not see eye to eye.

He got 16 last time around and 32 before that. The guy is a proven match winner and yet Deila is either unconvinced or sees the team for this season lining up in a certain way in which they would not need such a player.

Celtic really need such a player, certainly in this Europa League campaign if they are to get through a group of four which after the first two matches looks rather intriguing.

Norwegian side Molde, who came out of pot four, brilliantly and deservedly beat Fenerbahce in Turkey, so are clearly no mugs and will now seriously fancy themselves. If nothing else, Group A is going to be bloody interesting.

And it’s one Celtic can get through if Deila has all his best players on the park at the same time.