Celtic looking to stay motivated by early-season lnverness draw
It may seem like forever ago for Celtic supporters, but the lone dropped points in the Hoops’ domestic campaign are apparently fresh in the minds of the players.
The day was September 22, 2016 and Celtic had just been drawn 2-2 at Inverness. Few would have thought that would be the only points dropped in 26 Scottish Premiership matches this season. Surely someone would at least challenge a club with plenty of new parts a new manager?
It hasn’t happened, with Celtic owning a 32-game domestic unbeaten streak overall and a 26-game unbeaten streak in the Premiership.
While the memory of that 2-2 draw at Inverness is in the back of the supporters minds, it is as fresh as yesterday for the players who were on the pitch for that matchup.
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Defender Erik Sviatchenko made certain to let everyone know the players haven’t forgotten the missing two points on the season.
Sviatchenko told the BBC about the return to the scene of the only dropped points this season:
“It is obviously a place we want to win at and we will do everything we can to see if we can get the three points because we always need to be the team that needs to win,” Sviatchenko said.
The two teams will meet on Wednesday night at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium, and even though Celtic have been on a roll as of late, Sviatchenko and Co. know no team is going to just lay down for them.
Instead, he sees every game getting more difficult as thy approach all the talk of a domestic treble and an undefeated season. j
"“I would certainly say it is not getting easier. It is all about the mental preparation and the approach to the game because every game will be important and we need to be thinking it is going to be even more difficult now because it is so many games we play."
The response of the players is certainly interesting, especially considering Celtic went through Calley Thistle 6-0 in their Scottish Cup fifth round tie just a few weeks ago. However, getting it done in the league seems to take precedence for the players.
Celtic will head in to its match on Wednesday leading second place Aberdeen by 24 points. The magic number to clinch a Scottish Premiership title sits at just 13 points, and the talk isn’t something the players are really shying away from.
In fact, players are well aware of what is in front of them, and plan to win things as quickly as possible. That isn’t to say they aren’t also going to take the teams in front of them seriously though.
“We are playing for the title,” Svaitchenko said to the BBC. “We will do everything we can [to win it] as soon as possible but we have the most respect for every team we play.”
That respect is a good thing, because it means Celtic aren’t going to let their form or their mentality slip no matter who is in front of them. Instead, expect them to go out, execute the plan that Rodgers has for them and put inferior opponents away.
The less Celtic allows teams to stick around, the less confidence of ending Celtic’s unbeaten streak.
It’s been a plan that has worked to perfection over the last month. Celt outscored its Premiership opponents 10-2 in February, owning a 16-2 advantage on the scoreboard in all competitions.
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With Leigh Griffiths back to health, Dedryck Boyata’s emergence in the back line and Kieran Tierney back in the Starting XI, there seems to be little that will stop Celtic. That’s especially so if Sviatchenko’s words are put in to action.