Benjamin Nygren insists Celtic’s players always believed their season could still end in success, even during the disastrous spell under Wilfried Nancy.
The midfielder has remained confident throughout a turbulent campaign that has seen two managerial changes and dramatic swings in momentum at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
Celtic now stand on the brink of another title triumph. Victories over Motherwell and league leaders Hearts in their final two fixtures would secure the championship for the Hoops for a fifth consecutive season.
Martin O’Neill first returned to the dugout in October with Celtic trailing Hearts by eight points, before guiding the side back into contention prior to Nancy’s appointment in December.
However, the French coach’s brief reign lasted little more than a month, and when O’Neill resumed control in January, the gap to the summit had widened to six points.
Heading into the final two rounds of fixtures, Celtic sit just one point behind Hearts ahead of a potentially decisive showdown at Celtic Park on the last day of the season.
Despite the upheaval throughout the campaign, Nygren says belief within the dressing room has never disappeared.
“I’m not surprised,” Nygren explained via The Herald. “I believed in the group and in the squad the whole season.”
Celtic’s previous visit to Fir Park proved to be one of the lowest moments of the season, as Motherwell claimed a convincing 2-0 victory in what became the penultimate match of Nancy’s time in charge.
Nygren, though, insists there are no lingering scars from that defeat as Celtic prepare to return to North Lanarkshire this evening.
“The situation we’re in now is so different, and I don’t think back at that game at all,” he said.
“We know Motherwell are a very good team, but we’re very good as well. Now it’s a completely different situation, so we go there to win.”
The Swedish midfielder also pointed to a renewed intensity and aggression within the squad during recent weeks as Celtic attempt to complete their title charge.
“I think you can really see the hunger in the team now that we’ve switched up a little bit,” Nygren added.
“We’re really going for it every game. We chase the opponents down every game, and that’s what we need to do in the last games as well.”
Quick Tip – Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!
