Celtic v BSC Young Boys – “Hopefully we’ll have a good night,” Callum McGregor

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The Celtic Star

·22 janvier 2025

Celtic v BSC Young Boys – “Hopefully we’ll have a good night,” Callum McGregor

Celtic captain Callum McGregor spoke to the media at Celtic Park yesterday afternoon including representatives from the Celtic fan media.

Calmac was as insightful as usual, a clever footballer on and off the park. Here’s everything that was said ahead of tonight’s Champions League showdown with BSC Young Boys. Bet you can’t wait…

Q: What’s the overall feeling heading into this one?

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Callum McGregor: “Yeah, excitement I think, obviously it’s a big game, we know what’s at stake and when these Champions League nights come around then, you’ve got to do everything you can to make sure you win them and have a positive experience and if we do that then we know what lies ahead.”

Q: You talk about everything that’s at stake, this has long been billed as the one that can see you over the line, how do you feel about that incentive?

Callum McGregor: “That’s a brilliant incentive, I think the players know that, they’re happy to take that responsibility and it’s down to us to come and give a performance that merits that and gets the crowd involved in the game and makes it a really difficult night. We know we’re playing against a good side, good physicality at this level, the stats and the numbers are up there as well so we know it’ll be a physical game but we also know that we’re a good side as well and we can play football, we’ve proved that in the home games and some of the away games as well at this level so we’ve just got to bring it all together tomorrow night and hopefully we’ll have a good night.”

Callum McGregor applauds the support after the 2-1 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup on 18 January 2025 at Celtic Park. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: You’ve been part of various attempts at this club to try and have a level of Champions League success, what would it mean to you to try and get one over the line?

Callum McGregor: “Yeah, a lot obviously, like you said we’ve tried and failed pretty much most of the time so it’s a big step for the club, everybody wants to be a part of it and we’ve done ever so well so far but we don’t want to be the nearly team, we feel like we’ve got a team here, a profile of player and squad that should be getting success so it’s now down to the players to prove that and hopefully we can do that tomorrow night.”

Q: Obviously you’ve still got to get it over the line tomorrow night and then you’ve got the game down in Birmingham but what do you think has been different this year? Obviously there’s been the expanded format but these nights here you’re going away and getting results as well, what’s been different this season?

Callum McGregor: “I think a wee bit more maturity in the performances, I think we are defending better against the ball, we’re more compact, we understand that we can’t always be the aggressor in the game, we can’t always chase the game, you’re playing against good sides with good players that can hurt you so sometimes you have to take your medicine a little bit and wait on the game and wait on your moment in the game. So I feel like we’re playing with a bit more maturity. In the side, there’s so much speed and quality that in those moments when we turn the ball over we can go forward with one pass and be a real threat in the game as well so as well as our normal football stuff is generally pretty good at this level, we’re now getting better against the ball and I feel like that’s been a big difference for us.”

Kasper Scheichel and Callum McGregor ahead of kick-off. Dens Park, Dundee v Celtic. 14th January 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: You touched on it earlier about the crowd tomorrow night, you’ve played in so many European nights here, what would be your message to supporters coming along tomorrow?

Callum McGregor: “I think the message is more for us to be honest, I think we have to get the crowd involved in the game, we have to give them a performance level that makes them get behind the team, when the game starts they’ll be there as they always are. Big expectation, big numbers, big noise, but it’s then up to us to carry them with us and give them a performance that they want to back and then we can have a really positive experience and hopefully we can go on and win the game.”

Q: Just on your opponents tomorrow night, they’re struggling in this campaign but how much do you have to be wary of it and not just think they’re going to come here and give up?

Callum McGregor: “No, of course, at this level every team is a good team. Even though they haven’t done so well, we’ve been on the receiving end of that, we’ve actually played pretty well in games and haven’t got the rewards. The points never really tell the full story of all the games, so we know that they’re a good side, good physicality, some good players in there as well technically, so you expect that when you come to this level they’ll still have a period in the game tomorrow where they’ll be on top as well. It’s then up to us to play with that maturity to turn the game back in our favour, so we know for sure it’ll be a tough game and we’ll have to be at our maximum level as well.”

Callum McGregor. Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Q: Do you think you can recapture the magic of that game against Leipzig in November?

Callum McGregor: “Hopefully. That’s the aim. We always speak about when we come to this level you have to do a lot right and I think that night we were pretty much perfect, as good as we’ve been in a night like this, so we have to find a similar level of performance and we have to be clinical when we get the opportunities when we’re up in the game. We’ve got to take them and then like I say we’ve got to be mature against the ball as well. We’ve done a lot of that, we’ve been pretty good, we now just have to bring it tomorrow night.”

Q: In the last couple of European games, there haven’t been as many opportunities as you’d like?

Callum McGregor: “Yeah, probably, but I think teams now probably after the Leipzig game are maybe giving us a bit more respect. I you come flying after Celtic, the good players will pick you off and they’ve got speed in transition and all these things, so I think now teams are giving us a little bit more respect, a bit more mid-pitch block, trying to force you down one side and trap you there, so up to us to find a solution to that of course. I think it’s a good thing because I think teams are now respecting what we can do at this level.”

Callum McGregor with the Premier Sports Cup after Celtic’s victory over theRangers on 15 December 2024 at Hampden Park. Photo Kenny Ramsay

Q: Would you be happy enough to go through the rest of Champions League league stage unbeaten or do you really have to win tomorrow?

Callum McGregor: “I think when we arrive tomorrow night we want to win the game, that’s where our mentality is, it’s the same as we approach every game, we want to win no matter the competition. I think in football it’s always difficult anyway if you set up to play for a draw or whatever, straight away your psyche is not right and you’re not quite on top of the game, so for us the message to the players today in training was let’s go and be aggressive and try and win the game.”

Q: Brendan Rodgers said about a month ago that you were entering an ultra-marathon period of fixtures, we’re now at the other side of that, between yourself and the squad do you feel that this ultra-marathon that we’ve been through has probably put the squad in a strong position for almost a cup final of an event like this is tomorrow?

Callum McGregor: “Yeah, I think as players you want to be in the rhythm, you want to play every three or four days so we’ve had that over the last two months, players have been dipped in and out as well so there’s a freshness there and I think at the weekend we were very good, especially with the ball, very, very good, very dangerous, should have scored more than two. The zip and the energy was there from the team so that fills me with confidence when we go into tomorrow night’s game, the players feel good about themselves and like you said it’s a big game, almost like a sort of shoot-out type game. That’s good for us, we know where the mentality has to be, we know what’s required to get the job done and now the onus is on us as players to go and deliver that.”

Callum McGregor celebrates winning the Premier Sports Cup after Celtic’s victory over theRangers on 15 December 2024 at Hampden Park. Photo Kenny Ramsay

Q: From the matches we’ve had so far in this campaign the squad has definitely grown and like moved up levels throughout the campaign so far or would you say the main thing is from matches previous that will be brought into this game to get the result?

Callum McGregor: “I think as always you have to bring a good blend of being good with the ball and then being good against the ball as well, I think that’s at this level no matter how dominant you can be in the game there’s always three or four moments in the game where the opposition will either counter and have a transition moment against you so you have to have the right balance. You can’t be too aggressive, you can’t be too passive so there’s a lot of the games have been good templates for us so it’s now just about piecing that together and picking the right moments to go and be aggressive and then other moments we’ll have to sit and wait and we can use that speed and transition that we’ve got as well so bring all that together hopefully we’ll have a positive night.”

Q: Would you have taken this position at the start of the campaign?

Callum McGregor: “Yeah absolutely, home form’s been very good, away form have picked up some good results as well so we feel like we’re building nicely and I think if you offered anyone a shootout in the last game at home you know if you win you’re through to the knockout phase then you would have taken it absolutely. The group have made great strides since the start of the very first away game where we were heavily beaten but the team have grown since then and showed a lot of maturity and a lot of quality in their performances so hopefully that gears us up to what’s a big finish tomorrow night.”

Celtic captain Callum McGregor walks out of the tunnel prior to the UEFA Champions League match between GNK Dinamo and Celtic FC at Stadion Maksimir on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

Q: You secured a convincing win about against RB Leipzig in November, is it going to take a similar type of performance to get a win tomorrow night?

Callum McGregor: “Yeah absolutely, to be at your maximum level in this competition you have to be there or else the teams you’re playing against are so good that they can hurt you so absolutely similar type of performance, same mentality, same aggression, same defensive qualities and if we can do that then and we perform well I think hopefully we can go win the game.”

Q: Obviously the last two Champions League games have been draws, is there something that you’re looking to sort of do differently or to maximise in order to sort of draw into a win tomorrow night?

Callum McGregor: “It’ll be a slightly different game, the last two games have been against teams that have been more zonal, more sort of lower down on the pitch. Obviously the Leipzig game was different, they’re a pressing team renowned for coming after you and our football was sensational that night so I think probably since then teams have maybe thought well we can’t go flying after Celtic because they’ve got good players, they’ll pick you off so now they’re a bit deeper down in the pitch and more comfortable in that mid-pitch block so we’ll probably have a variation of both of that tomorrow night.

Callum McGregor is put under pressure by Martin Baturina during the UEFA Champions League match between GNK Dinamo and Celtic FC at Stadion Maksimir on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

“They like to be quite aggressive from the static goal kick in static situations, they’ll lock on a wee bit more but maybe from mid-block onwards they’ll be a bit more zonal so it’s up to us to find the solution and find the speed and the aggression. I think when we do that and we look to play forward more often than not that’s where we’re at our best so we’ve had a little chat about it today in training, we’ve looked at some things that we think can help us in the game and like I said we have to find a solution on the pitch tomorrow night but the focus from the players is being aggressive in the game and trying to win.”