Celtic captain Callum McGregor focused on the grit and determination that saw Celtic through the closing stages of the 2-1 Glasgow Derby victory over theRangers at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon. That result leaves Celtic six points clear with two games to go effective means that winning the title is now a matter of when rather than if.
Clement’s woeful Glasgow derby record
A Matt O’Riley penalty miss stopped it going to 3-1 and then it could have been a heavy defeat for Philippe Clement’s side with the Belgian building up a very bad record in these fixtures with the Glasgow Derby Scottish Cup final on 25th May to come.
If Callum McGregor collects the cup at Hampden to secure another double for Celtic then the pressure will start to mount big time on the Belgian, who currently has a worse record than the previous two managers of theRangers on a games played basis.
Those closing nervy minutes
The Celtic captain though was more concerned with our own performance and was delighted with the resolute defending in those closing nervy minutes as the Celtic supporters heard a late equaliser might dampen our spirits.
“Defending as a group in the box, we work on that constantly,” Calmac said in the post match interview with Celtic TV, alongside Man of the Match Matt O’Riley. “That’s why Joe has as few saves as possible that he has to make, because they’re a unit and they defend together.
Grit and determination
“You have to have that grit and determination. We were tested at the end, boys were making blocks, tackles and headers. That’s all part of being a successful football team.”
“In derby games and league titles, there’s always difficult moments,” McGregor said. “You’ve got to come through them. You show that character and resilience to get over the line.
“We’ve taken a big step today but we know the job isn’t finished yet. We have to rest and recover and go again on Wednesday night and try to get over the line.”
Matt O’Riley also talked through his goal that set Celtic on our way to yet another win against theRangers, making it three wins and a draw against them this season – and how they celebrated that draw!
I felt good in and around the box
Matt O’Riley certainly made a huge impact on the game and alongside his captain they were the top two performers on the park.
“I had a couple of shots before which were close,” Celtic’s Man of the Match said. “So I felt good in and around the box. We work on that in training and it was a good time to score. I found that bit of space and I trust myself in those areas.”
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