Callum McGregor

Best player in Scotland. Head and shoulders above everyone else. Leads by example, scores goals, disrupts opponents and takes control of games. Brilliant player.

 

Everything Callum McGregor had to say in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Celtictaking on Rangers in the League Cup final...

Just how much are you looking forward to this one then?

Of course, it is a big game, a showpiece occasion and everybody is looking forward to it. We have prepared really well over the week. Come Sunday, we will be ready to go.

You have been involved so many times in this fixture what do you think is the most important quality a player needs to have in this game to be successful?

I think you need a lot of different things. In cup finals, you have to play well. You need a little bit of luck as well. I think the main thing for us is to continue to stay focused and continue to do what we've been doing. The team is in a good rhythm and in good form. If we bring that to the game along with our other qualities and we stay calm then I think we will be okay.

Do you think the team is in a stronger position now than when you were when you played Rangers in the 2-2 game in January?

We have probably got good momentum and we had a few boys join us in January. It was Ali's (Alistair Johnston) first game as well and he has settled into the system really well. Our front guys have been in really good form and have been scoring a lot of goals and we have not been conceding a lot of goals. The team has been really cohesive and that's the best preparation we can have leading into a game like this.




How do you deal with the ebb and flow of these games and keep yourself focused even when moments in the game are against you?

I think it is about trying to stay calm and focused on the gameplan that we try and bring to the table. Of course, there will always be moments in any game that don't go your way and it is important to react in the right way. Say someone gives the ball away our first reaction is to try and win it back. We need to have a good shape behind the ball and there are always going to be moments that go against you like going down 2-1 in the last game but we managed to find a way back into the game. It is just about sticking to your principles and what gets you success.

How does it change when you are the top dogs going into this fixture rather than the chasers as you are the team to beat and the ones to be shot down at the moment? Does that make it more difficult or does that become a motivation?

I don't think that plays a part in the game at all, to be honest. It is a cup final and it is a one-off occasion. The way that we look at cup football is that if you don't get it right on the day then you don't progress or you don't win. We've just taken the same approach as we always do and prepared the same way and trained really hard this week and when the game comes around then we understand what knockout football is about and you have to be right on the day to win it. That's exactly what we are looking to do.

The manager was saying that he is not kidding the players on that this is just another week because it's not. Can you give us a flavour of what this week is like for the captain of Celtic and how you personally embrace the whole thing?

Everybody knows it's a big game. It is a game of consequence and I have always said this as a football player you want to be involved in big games of consequence when things are on the line. That's what excites you as a player. You know what's coming at the end of the week. I believe you have a process and you have to trust your process and what gets you success and what works. I've had success in recent times and it is important that you stick to that. You have experienced both the good times and the bad times. When the game comes and it starts you know the occasion is there to be played and that's what happens the game kicks off and you have to go. In terms of preparation, of course, you are excited and you are looking forward to the game but you have to stick to the process throughout the week.






In terms of what this would mean to you and the club, this was your first trophy as a captain. What would it mean for you to a) retain this and b) in terms of the momentum that you were alluding to and have built up throughout this season and what would it mean for the team to celebrate getting this one in the bag and to keep going for the rest of the season?

That's exactly it. Our focus is always on the next game. The next game is the biggest game so that is Sunday. We prepare the same way. It is obviously important in terms of the context of our season if we can go on and be successful then it gives us a bounce to continue that for the rest of the season and to try and be as successful as we can. I think that is the most important thing. Personally, I do not come into it at all. We'll get the rewards as a team if we turn up and do all the right things and then we can have that conversation after the game. As far as I am concerned the full focus is on the players and what we have to do on Sunday.

Is it almost the perfect final for yourself and the fans of the club because it is a chance for silverware but also to play against your biggest rivals and does that makes it bigger, special or sweeter if you do win?

Of course, when there are trophies on the line it is always sweet if you can get them. They are big games and I speak about cup football all the time. If you are not right you don't get the chance to get to the final and it is the same this time around. To play Rangers in the final adds that special sort of feeling to it. It will be a good spectacle for the fans and everybody in Scottish football but I think for us as players we have to approach it the same way. We haven't changed our approach whatever competition that we have been in, whether that be home or away, it doesn't really matter. We approach the game in the same way and we will do that. We will not have an eye on what the fixture is and who it is against. It's how we prepare for the game and when we turn up the players know exactly what they have to give to the game to be successful and that's what we will be aiming to do.

Would it be extra special to beat Rangers at Hampden because the last time you lost and it would be great for the fans to see Celtic win against them?

Yes, of course, obviously when you lose a big game like that it hurts you and stays with you probably for the rest of your career and the rest of your life. It is important that when you get the chance to try and rectify that then you give absolutely everything to put that right. Probably most importantly to put it right for the supporters as well. We have that added motivation. They got one over on us the last time at Hampden and we'll try to fix that but the only way to fix that is to stay calm and focused on what we have been doing and approach the game in the right way and turn up and do all the right things and that will be a consequence of that.




Do you have to talk to new players about how important these games are to the fans?

I think so. They probably find out very quickly what it is about within a couple of weeks of signing. Of course, when you play them for the first time, then you get a real feel for what the fixture is like and what it is about. I think the group are reasonably experienced in that now. We have had a couple of players join us since then but the momentum with the group has been good. Living in Glasgow, you know exactly what it is all about and it is just about the players staying calm. We trust ourselves, the manager and what we are doing. Hopefully, we can have a successful afternoon if we put all those things together.



Do you have any added responsibilities as captain in the lead-up to these games?

Not really. People will look to myself for a bit of leadership throughout the week. The good thing about this group is we have a lot of leaders in the squad as well. We train extremely hard every day and we do not come away from that because it is a big game. We have a set way of training and always give our maximum as players because we have to set that standard every day so it filters through the group how exactly we want to approach every game. We go into the game on Sunday a game of consequence, but it is all about how we have prepared.

A personal highlight in games against Rangers?

Maybe my first goal in the 2017 Scottish Cup semi-final. I have had a couple of other good ones but I will probably stick with that.

 

Such football intelligence, will surely be a top manager once he is finished leading us on the field

 

Never lost a cup final as a Celtic player

 

MOTM today, kept everyone going and leading by example.

 

Thought he was excellent today. Really on it.

 

Yep, motm. I honestly didn't think I'd see a better captain in my lifetime than SB but I think Cal may go on to surpass him.

 

Captain Fantastic! What a player!

 

Best player on the pitch as always.

It’s got to the point he’s that consistently good that no * gives him a mention any more

 

There’s no need to. He sets the standard for the rest to follow.

My * captain.