Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor has hit back at those who have criticised his team’s recent performances.
The Hoops defeated St Johnstone 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup during the week, and the attacking midfielder has claimed that Celtic that things are starting to come together on the back of that result.
He insists that it is not the “game model” that is wrong, as he says it has worked for his team for the last two years – and insists that Celtic play better when there are people doubting their ability.
“You could see the other night it was starting to click. It’s not the game model that’s wrong. We’ve been so successful the last two years playing the way that we have played so we’ve got to trust in it,” he told BBC Sport.
“Any time we’ve been tested or people have thrown criticism at us, we’ve tended to respond well. We’ve probably been at our best when people have doubted us.”
OPINION
Yes Celtic have been rather poor recently – so it was only right that one of their players defended their current form. They have been far from where they were last season, and they are not going to replicate their success based on their current showings. However, McGregor is right – it is not the game model that needs changing, as it has worked for them for the past two years. One of Celtic’s problems is that they can be too complacent at times – and this has cost them vital matches, namely the loss to Kilmarnock last weekend. They cannot continue to throw away matches in the way that have done so far, as it will just open the title race right up. The Hoops are known as the dominant force in Scottish football, but that label will soon lose its meaning if they do not step up a gear soon. Their Scottish League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen will help prove that – and if what McGregor says is true about them performing better when they are being doubted, then a positive result may be on the cards.