TALKING CELTIC
ERIK Sviatchenko is not what you would describe as your average footballer. While others will spend much of their free time sitting in front of a television playing an Xbox or watching box sets, the father, when he’s not caring for his one-year-old son William, is most likely to be working on a fashion blog or wandering around an art gallery.
The articulate great Dane is certainly a thinker, and it’s this characteristic you would fear would work against him during one of the must frustrating periods of his time at Celtic Park.
Back in July the centre-half was thrown into the starting line-up to face Rosenborg in the must-win Champions League qualifier in Norway, only for a knee injury to force him off after just 25 minutes. The fact the knock came straight off the back of a lay-off only added insult to injury.
It meant not only has Sviatchenko not played a part in Celtic’s so-far domestically unbeaten defence of their Ladbrokes Premiership title, but he’s been forced to watch on from the stands as his team-mates galloped into the Champions League to firstly go down to Paris St Germain before battering Anderlecht in Belgium.
Sviatchenko is finally coming to the end of that injury lay-off hell, and he has reflected on his angst at being consigned to the treatment table during such a crucial period of the campaign.
“It’s been a tough two months, but it was scheduled to be three and it’s been a good, straightforward recovery, so much thanks goes to the medical staff for bringing me to the stage where it’s just about kicking on and being clever and wise.
“It has been frustrating to be left out with an injury, especially with the timing. It happened against Rosenborg away and I had just come back from a minor injury. I was back in the squad and trusted to play in a big game.
“I started well and then after 25 minutes I was injured.
“It’s a difficult moment for you as a footballer but you must accept that some things are just the way they are. Football is a game where you can be injured and when you are left on the sidelines then of course you are frustrated.
“You just need to put a new code on yourself and remember it’s just for a period and if you work hard and do your things well you will be back playing again.”
SITTING idle doesn’t come easily to Sviatchenko, and as such he’s put his time to good use.
As well as seeing more of William and his wife Anne, the 26-year-old has worked tirelessly to not just get back to where he was, but make himself even better.
“That is the downside for football, but that time has gone now, I’ve put it behind me and hopefully I am a new improved version of myself,” Sviatchenko told the Celtic View. “I always try to improve but now I have had two months to improve on aspects and now I need to get into that rhythm of playing football and training every day.
“It’s difficult to improve the football aspect as that comes when you train, but there are things you can miss when you are just going with the flow.
“Now I’ve had a chance to dig deep and focus on the small things that need to be there and I will continue doing that as I know it’s an essential thing for my well-being.”
As the man himself eluded to, his recovery has way ahead of schedule. So much so, there is a chance the Danish internationalist could feature this weekend against Dundee and away at the Allianz Arena next week when Celtic take on Bayern Munich.
He said: “There will still be some adaptation aspects and it’s all about getting the right doses of training.
“I’ve spoken to the physios here and they know there is that initial period where you go through and you feel bits and bobs, but I will be aiming to be ready for those games. I don’t want to rush anything.
“I just want to be fit as possible for selection and then we will see what happens.”
THE prospect of coming up against the mighty Bayern and the likes of Robert Lewandowski has undoubtedly been something for Sviatchenko to focus on during his time out, and he added: “I was on the bench with the Danish national team when we lost 3-2 in Poland and
It’s difficult for you but you must accept things are the way they are