Callum McGregor

Callum McGregor says Celtic’s blip against Motherwell is the kick up the backside they needed before their Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Rangers.

The Hoops skipper insists they will repay their fans at Hampden with an Old Firm performance after their Premiership slip-up McGregor & Co could only manage a 1-1 draw with the Steelmen. It’s the first time they’ve dropped points at home this season. But the captain is convinced that it will humble boss Ange Postecoglou ’s side and give them a jolt ahead of their Cup showdown.



He said: “Football can bring you back down to earth when you think you are doing well. That’s what it does. If you drop your standards, that’s what can happen. Hopefully come the end of next week, that’s what this will have been – just a blip. It’s one of those days when, if you ever think you are getting too far ahead of yourself, it refocuses the group




That’s what we need to do and it’s down to us. It was disappointing because the fans were excellent and stayed with us. We need to repay that next weekend.

“It’s a disappointment when we drop points at home as we want to be really dominant. We will look at the game and find the reasons why we didn’t quite get the job done. Then we will hammer home the principles that have got us where we are.”

McGregor opened the scoring for Celticagainst Well but they were pegged back thanks to Kevin van Veen’s second-half equaliser. They’re still 13 points ahead at the top of the league and on course for a domestic Treble.

But McGregor says it’s imperative they recover quickly. He said: “We won’t make excuses. We came away from our structure a little bit and the review of the game will show that




It was just an off day in terms of our quality, This is probably one of the only times when we haven’t managed to find a solution in the game.

"We have come through a lot of these matches where we have got a last-minute goal or done enough to win, We didn’t do that and the disappointing thing was the way we lost the goal. We have big games to go and we need to apply those lessons into them. The next game is the biggest one now and we will approach that with full focus.




Celtic were without the likes of Jota, Reo Hatate and Liel Abada against Motherwell and there’s no guarantee they’ll be fit for Hampden. McGregor admits they could do with them returning from injury before next Sunday.

He said: “Not having top-class players can hinder you and we do miss guys like Jota and Reo at the top of the pitch. But the squad is strong and we have always found a solution. It’s important we learn from today and move forward again.”




McGregor wasn’t surprised to hear boss Postecoglou’s name linked with the vacant manager’s job at Chelsea. But he says it’s vital the Aussie gaffer stays to finish what he’s started.

Reports in England suggested Postecoglou was on the Stamford Bridge club’s hitlist to replace axed Graham Potter. Ex-Spurs and PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino is favourite for the job though and McGregor admits he’s desperate for Postecoglou to remain in Glasgow




He said: “He’s been fantastic here, he’s had a really good tenure and we want to keep him. His work is outstanding and he’s a good person as well. That’s the type of people you want to work with and we would be delighted to keep him.

“His work speaks for itself. That’s going to get people talking but I think his full focus is on the job at hand. If we can keep him we will be delighted.”

 

What a video, what a player, what a captain.

 

Everything Callum McGregor had to say in his pre-match press conference ahead of Celtictaking on Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park.

Callum, how much are you all looking forward to this semi-final at Hampden?

Yeah, obviously a big occasion, a big game. So you know, naturally the players are excited and looking forward to the game as a professional footballer, these are the days you want to be involved in.

And given that, how important is it that the fans help create that spectacle as well and make it a memorable day? For, I suppose, the right reasons?

Yeah, of course. You know, that's what we want. We want everybody to turn up, go to the game and enjoy it and have a safe environment for players, supporters, everybody involved on the day. Safety is paramount in that sense. Hopefully after the game everybody's enjoyed it and everybody's talking about the football.

Hi Callum, just on the fans, what sort of a difference does it make having that 50/50 split, the atmosphere that you're gonna have at Hampden on Sunday?

Yeah, I think it's obviously a good split. It gives both sets of supporters a chance to go and back their team. I think it makes the atmosphere a lot better than obviously the league games, as you've got a small section or potentially no fans there then it makes it difficult for the away side, so this obviously being a neutral venue, 50/50 split in terms of supporters. And hopefully that should make for a good spectacle as well.

That's a year you've gone without defeat in this fixture. How much confidence does this group have going into games against Rangers at the moment?

We just always approach them the same. We know that they're tough games, you always prepare as best you can in the week leading up. Of course, anything can happen in these games. There's two good teams with good quality, going at each other and the preparation to that is key so that when you go on the pitch, you give yourself the best chance of being successful and recently we've done that like you said and obviously that then just continues this week. The build up's been good and the boys have trained really well and we're looking at the detail of the game. And then always as cup games, you have to bring a big performance to make sure that you go through to the next round.

Hi Callum. Do you expect anything different from Rangers this time around in terms of maybe tactically because it would seem they maybe need to try something different given that they've not won against you in five games?

We're predominantly looking at ourselves in terms of the training week, what we think we can bring to the game. As always, that's number one. And then of course, in the games against Rangers this season, they've tried, probably three or four different systems to try and stop us in each of the games so we're preparing for each of those scenarios and whatever one we face then hopefully we'll have the solution to that come the game and it's just about trying to find out, where the space is and how we can beat that press and progress again forward and try and be dominant in the game which is what we want. That's the way we always want the game to look so we've done our preparation. We're looking forward to the game and then like I said, as always in cup games, you have to perform on the big stage.




You mentioned after the Motherwell game, I think you described it as a little blip. What have you guys said about that, has it been a case of flushing that performance pretty quickly and moving on or have you reviewed it in terms of how you can move on from it?

Yeah, we always review every game, whether it's a positive outcome or not so positive then you know, we'll always look at the game, look at the detail behind maybe why we felt it wasn't as slick a performance as what we're used to, so we did that when we came back in at the start of the week and tried to find the right solutions to that. And then implement that in training into the week and then obviously looking at this game at the weekend. So, obviously it wasn't a positive result for us, but hopefully we've taken the learning from that and applied it in the week's training and hopefully we can apply that at the weekend.

Hi Callum, I think a few of the players have maybe mentioned after the game that you weren't at your best in terms of the last game against Rangers, but you still managed to get the win. Is that something that you can look at as a positive given the fact that you still won and there's maybe still a lot more to come from you?

I think obviously when you win these games, of course it's a positive. You obviously come away looking at performance because you know that's the type of team that we want to be. We want to not only win these games, but we want to win them well in terms of performance. But first and foremost, let's make no mistake, it's about winning these games and when they come around, performance wise, of course you strive for perfection, but you know the ultimate aim is to win the game and we're glad that we did that. That showed a side to us that is good. We want to win. We're super competitive in the game and that kind of carried us through the fixture which is a positive as well because you need that even when you're not playing so well, you need that willingness to win and run and fight for each other. So of course, at the weekend we'll be looking for a better performance in terms of the technical and tactical aspect of the game but we still have to bring that competitiveness that won us the last game. So, hopefully we can marry the two and we'll have a positive experience at the weekend

I remember their manager saying afterwards that he didn't feel it was a game full of quality. Just how hard is it in a game when they are always so chaotic? How hard is it to stick to the game plan and try to keep playing your football when there's so much else going on?

Yeah, well that is the challenge. That's what we're looking for. You've got to have a calm head. You got to see the detail behind the game and how you can progress the ball forward into the areas that you want to do so of course you've got all this chaos, you've got all the hype of the game and in the fixture and it's trying to stay calm within that and obviously implement the game plan that we feel can be effective. So it's just about having that personality to stay calm and put your foot on the ball and make some passes and gain control of the game. But, as always it's easier said than done.




Callum, as skipper on that topic, as skipper, do you do anything differently for these games because of what's at stake, that maybe nerves get to some of the players? It can mean so much, do you have to work extra hard to maybe calm a few folk down?

I suppose in terms of the build up of the game your words can have an effect, but I think it's the combination of the training week and the message that you try and implement through the training week that can make the difference. And then of course when you go there, you feel the environment and it's hectic, it's chaotic. It's then about trying to have enough players that can gather themself and implement what you've been doing all week in training because that's been the base of the work that hopefully can make you successful. So, of course, the experienced ones have a part to play in that on these occasions and obviously we'll be trying to do as best we can to try and make the performance look the way that we want it to look.

I know you said before when somebody asked you going into this game five games unbeaten that you just approach it the same but does it make any difference that you've had that good run or is this game just one of those stand-alone ones that you can't take anything for granted?

No, of course you can't. You can't take anything for granted in football at all, let alone semi-finals, where of course the emotion of the game and the hype around the game is big. I think you just have to rely on, of course your past experiences and of course you take some sort of a confidence from that, that you've been unbeaten so far, but you then just have to take the aspects of all the performances and try and put them together to make sure that you maintain that run. You don't get any extra credit for turning up to the game being unbeaten. It's after the game, if you've managed to come through the fixture with a positive result, then of course you can look on that and say it's been a good day so the week's training has been fully focused on what we can do every day to prepare ourself and when we cross that line on Sunday, then hopefully we've done everything we can to make sure it's a positive experience for us.

Hi Callum, probably one of the silver linings from the weekend, we've seen yourself getting back on the scoresheet. Can we expect to see you getting into the final third a bit more over the last part of the season?

Well, it just depends in terms of where the manager sets up the team in terms of positional. Obviously, if you're playing that deeper role then that makes it a little bit more difficult because your job is then trying to build the team, build the play, control the game from a sort of deeper area, and then obviously it's the two eights with the more advanced midfield players then it's maybe more their job to get involved in the attacking side of the game and be creative. So it just depends on what the manager sees moving forward.

We've seen the manager debut Alistair Johnson earlier this season in this fixture and there's a lot of other players in the squad that are yet to experience this, never mind at Hampden or whatever. Is there a lot of excitement in the squad? How are the new guys feeling in anticipation?

No, they're good. We've got a good group here. everybody's firstly excited for the game and looking forward to it. I get the feeling that this group enjoy the big occasions, the big days. So, the training week's been good, everybody's in a positive light and then you know just touching on Ali as well, he's been superb since he came in. He's played a few of these games already and you can see his personality within the group. He's been outstanding. So if you look at guys like that coming in with that confidence and personality then hopefully the group will feed off that energy and it doesn't matter how long you've been here, you know you have to be ready and up for these occasions.


Hi Callum, the manager was saying during the week after the post-split fixtures came out that he was disappointed that the Celtic fans wouldn't see the team at home for three weeks. Can I just get your take on that, two tough away games and particularly the one going to Tynecastle to potentially seal the title?

Obviously it's a tough run of fixtures. It would have been nice to get one of them at home. So obviously for the supporters, that's a disappointing thing for the players, Of course it's disappointing as well but, I just think over the course of the season, you have to play these games and in whatever order they come then that's the reality of it. We have to face it head on and you've got to go and win these games so that's the challenge for the group. Hopefully when we get back to Celtic Park then there'll be a brilliant atmosphere. But you know, for the time being, obviously we've got a lot of focus on the weekend and then once that's out the way, we then look at the game at Tynecastle so again, we just go on a game-by-game basis and whether it's at home or away then you know we have to prepare and give the absolute maximum for this club.

You've played Rangers quite often in the last few weeks and months. Every time you play these games do you pick up something different from each of them that you can learn from?

Yeah, I think that's the same in every game to be honest. You play a lot of these teams in the League, three or four times within a season, maybe more if you if you get them in the cup and I think just in the nature of football, every game is different and you always learn little bits about each opponent every time you play against them. So, you know, Rangers are no different to that, you try and bank the knowledge that you've got and against any games that you play then there's little crumbs of information that you can take and hopefully apply that into the next game so it's just the same for every team really.

 

Great listening to him here.

 

Found yesterday easy.

One time I thought he was poor and gave away possession. That's it.

He's so consistent.

 

His levels are so high that he’s absolutely strolled a Scottish cup semi against the huns and it’s barely even mentioned. Few times in the second half he was visibly ripping the pish out them and laughing in their face when they were losing the plot. A proper Celtic legend now.

 

Lifting trophies and making huns spew.

Callum * McGregor.

 

What a ridiculous stat that is for McGregor as well. 14 finals at Hampden and won every single one. Unbelievable.

 

MoTM for me. That run in the first half was class.