Celtic midfielder Mika Baur has been speaking after he scored the winner in a tight clash with St Johnstone on Wednesday night. Martin O'Neill made five changes to his starting lineup, and a rather clunky performance followed.
Celtic could have scored more on another day, and they had a legitimate goal ruled out due to a mistake from the line official, but St Johnstone also had a big first-half chance that Sam Johnstone had to react quickly to keep out.
Baur was actually one of Celtic's better performers on the night, and he managed to land our Man of the Match in the player ratings. The German wandered into a good position to touch home the winner, but beyond that, he was a constant presence on the ball, dictating much of what the Bhoys did from midfield.
“It was a tap-in and not that special, but I'm very, very happy that I scored the winning goal," Baur acknowledged on Celtic TV after the game. "And in the end, it was a deserved win.
“We had a tough first half and we can thank Sam (Johnstone). He was brilliant, so it was down to him that it was 0-0 at half-time. Then in the second half we did much better."
Celtic now turn their attention to Sunday's big derby clash with Rangers, facing their rivals away from home in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup. It will be a tough test for Celtic, and not only because Rangers have won their last four games, but there will be no away fans at Ibrox, with no travelling fans allowed at Old Firm games this season.
This Old Firm, which is the first of two in two weeks, will be Baur's first experience of it, and he is relishing the experience.
“I’m really look forward to it and it's a very special match,” he added. “I’m happy that I can play these matches. I never experienced it before, so I'm looking forward to Sunday.”
O'Neill must find the right midfield balance
The current Celtic midfield sees Callum McGregor and Baur play alongside each other, with the clear understanding that McGregor operates as a traditional pivot, while Baur has the licence to get on the ball and get forward, even with an attacking midfielder ahead of him.
We have seen some good results from Celtic in that system, but there is a lack of control at times during games that may need to be addressed if better sides begin to punish the Bhoys.
It will be one to keep an eye on this weekend, with Celtic facing a real test against Rangers. But there is a clear upside in Baur getting that licence to push on, and it's clear that it suits him, while the defensive role does not.
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