Slow starting Celtic thinking it’s inevitable – “We have to shake out of it,” Calmac

The Celtic Star

·8 April 2025

Slow starting Celtic thinking it’s inevitable – “We have to shake out of it,” Calmac

Callum McGregor reckons that the Celtic players need to get their collective act together and quickly after a fourth defeat in the Scottish Premiership this year against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Sunday…

Daniels Balodis of St Johnstone celebrates with team mates after scoring to give St Johnstone a 1-0 lead. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, l, McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025: Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

It was a game that could have set up a title party in the East End of Glasgow this Saturday had the league leaders managed to take care of the bottom side in the league. However after the loss of another dreadfully soft early goal, Celtic were unable to respond thus added to the sorry list that includes losing to Hibs at Easter Road and home and away defeats to theRangers.

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“We have to shake out of it,” Callum McGregor

“We have to shake out of it,” the Celtic captain said, as reported by Daily Record, after the latest no-show from this Celtic team. “Football’s got a funny way of keeping you honest, everybody is talking, you hear the noise of when are you going to win the league, we have to perform to make sure that we get over the line.

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic fails to score under pressure from Stephen Duke-McKenna of St Johnstone. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

“We’ve put ourselves in an unbelievable position with so many games to go,” McGregor noted. “People then start thinking it’s inevitable that you’re just going to turn up and it’s going to happen and that’s the bit where we give away the goal and then because of the way the game turns out, then that’s the way it looks and it’s not a good look.

“Next week we have to perform better for 90 minutes, get the win, and then see where that takes us,” Callum McGregor

“So we have to snap out of that straight away. And next week we have to perform better for 90 minutes, get the win, and then see where that takes us.

“It’s difficult to get over the line when you’re so close and obviously the points difference is, there’s a fair margin in it, but we then still have to be doing everything we can to sprint over the line rather than just waiting for it to happen,” the Celtic captain said.

Adam Idah of Celtic’s shot blocked by Zach Mitchell of St Johnstone. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Football, McDiarmid Park, Perth,06 April 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

And while the 13 points advantage is almost certainly uncatchable, there is a real danger in the Scottish Cup semi-final on Easter Sunday at Hampden as St Johnstone will have nothing to lose and will look at adopting the exact same game-plan that could potentially end Celtic’s chances of another treble because of the Celtic collective having taken the foot off the gas.

“Football keeps you honest because it’s inevitable, the noise, some of it will probably seep in,” Callum McGregor

“A hundred percent, a hundred percent and that’s the bit, like I’m saying, football keeps you honest because it’s inevitable, the noise, some of it will probably seep in.

“But it’s our job to try and make sure that that we are professional and we do the job that’s in front of us and then we can enjoy it once we’ve actually crossed the line. But there’s still a lot of football to be played. There’s a tough semi-final. You see that on Sunday. It’s the perfect example.

St Johnstone goalkeeper Andy Fisher saves a close range shot from Luke McCowan of Celtic. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, , McDiarmid Park, 06 April 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace/IMAGO Shutterstock

“We have to be razor sharp in the next five, six, seven weeks to make sure we end up where we think we will,” Callum McGregor

“So if we’re going to take anything from the game, then we have to be razor sharp in the next five, six, seven weeks to make sure we end up where we think we will, but we have got to do that.”

In all those defeats Celtic have started slowly and conceded early and Callum McGregor insists that this has got to be cut out of the Celtic game immediately.

“It’s the same message all the time, we’re trying to drill that into the players and the team all the time that you have to start games well, if you give teams a head start then the plan from them for the next 75 minutes. When you don’t start well, then, the idea of the game becomes a little bit cloudy and that’s when we are at our best when we are calm, play the system, we’re attacking the right spaces.

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers applauds the Celtic fans at full-time. Final score St Johnstone 1 Celtic 0. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, McDiarmid Park, Perth, – 06 April 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

“When you go one down so early, you’re then chasing it,” Callum McGregor

“But when you go one down so early, you’re then chasing it, especially at this time of the year when there’s so much at stake. We have to cut out those little bits, which make the game easier for us.”

A win for Celtic on Saturday in the early kick-off against Kilmarnock will increase the lead over theRangers to 16 points ahead of their 6th last domestic match of the campaign – all in the Scottish Premiership as they are out of the Scottish Cup.

If Aberdeen then win at Pittodrie on Sunday afternoon then Celtic will be officially the 2024/25 Scottish Champions as theRangers will remain 16 points behind Celtic will only five games remaining. Perhaps not the way that Celtic supporters would want to secure the title.

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers in technical area at McDiarmid Park. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, 06 April 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

Post split fixtures to be announced early next week

This is the last round of fixtures before the split where Celtic will have two home matches and three away days including a trip to Ibrox. We’ll probably have the two Edinburgh sides at home while having away games against Aberdeen and Dundee United on top of the game against theRangers.

The last game will presumably be at Celtic Park for Trophy Day so after Kilmarnock at the weekend we’ll have three tough away games in four matches before Callum McGregor gets to lift the Scottish Premiership trophy at Celtic Park.

Assuming we get our act together sufficiently to get over the finishing line. Maybe Aberdeen will do that for us this weekend?

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Slow starting Celtic thinking it’s inevitable – “We have to shake out of it,” Calmac | OneFootball