BACK TO MY BEST
It’s taken time to get back to my top level, which I showed against Astana. This is what Manchester City bought when they signed me from Swansea CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
TWO carefully measured swipes of Scott Sinclair’s right boot have helped deliver Celtic to the very brink of the Champions League. Clinical composure faced down all the pressure and expectation.
The experience rightly left Sinclair buoyant. Feeling like a million dollars? A bit higher than that, actually. More like an £8million man.
That was the value of the financial package Manchester City paid to sign Sinclair from Swansea City five years ago. Ultimately, of course, he became lost among the petro-dollars at the Etihad. The move didn’t work.
But the way in which Sinclair altered next Tuesday’s return leg against Astana into a virtual formality left the 28-year-old convinced he had recaptured a past peak. This was the kind of highlevel impact that once attracted one of the world’s richest clubs.
‘We still have one more game… but, personally, this is why I came to Celtic,’ reflected Sinclair.
‘I had aspirations to play in the Champions League, to get to the group stage and play against Europe’s best. This is what you want as a player.
‘It’s taken time to get back to my top level, which I showed against Astana. When I look back now, to the time I moved from Swansea to Manchester City, this is what they bought. Now I’m here at Celtic, I’m enjoying it and you can see I’m back to normal on the pitch.’
Prior to arriving at Parkhead, Sinclair’s Champions League experience was limited to a dead rubber for City against Borussia Dortmund in 2012.
He featured in five of Celtic’s six group-stage games last season, missing a return to the Etihad through injury. That improved know-how gives him hope of continuing to increase his impact on Europe’s elite stage.
‘It is still new to me,’ he said. ‘At City, I got the odd five minutes or I was on the bench.
‘I’m a real part of this team. I am so happy to be here and now I know what it’s all about — and I know a lot more about the level of the Champions League.
‘It was a great night against Astana. We maybe could have played better in the first 20 minutes but once we settled, we defended well and the game plan was to win and not concede. So we would take five goals every time.
‘These are nights when you’ve set yourself goals. One of mine was to start performing in the Champions League, to step up my game and play the best football you can imagine. Just enjoy these nights and play out of your skin.’
Celtic also scored five times in the home leg of last season’s play-off round. The crucial difference then was the concession of two away goals to Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
Anxiety rose when the Israelis took a 2-0 lead in the return. Celtic were in need of the bell. Relief jostled with joy as the primary emotions when their group-stage place was finally confirmed.
A year of learning and improvement under Brendan Rodgers has delivered a far more stable platform. Astana may be unbeaten in 14 European games at home but Celtic can approach the long trip to Kazakhstan on entirely their own terms. It seems unthinkable that any genuine concern will enter the equation.
‘Someone said to me after the match that it had been easy — it wasn’t easy,’ argued Sinclair.
‘We made it look like that and now we have one more away game to go. It’s great we have a five-goal cushion and we will be confident going out there.
‘In the league, you might get five chances and score three. In this competition, you might only get one or two at the most and you have to put them away.
‘I’m not sure how many shots on target we had. You have to be ruthless in front of goal because you’re not going to have as many. We didn’t have 15 shots on target but we did great.’
Sinclair chuckled when it was pointed out that the UEFA statistics showed they actually managed to score five times from three shots on target. Own goals from Yevgeny Postnikov and Igor Shitov added to a superbly worked James Forrest strike.
‘I think we were more relaxed,’ added Sinclair. ‘We went through this last year and we’ve come on so much since then. We are all enjoying it. We played with a lot more calmness on Wednesday and gelled as a team.
‘I’m sure the gaffer will come up with something for the second leg. I think we should go out there and play our normal game and make sure we play as well again.’
The scoreline hardly needs gilding but the absences that were overcome made Rodgers’ work all the more impressive.
Injuries to Dedryck Boyata and Erik Sviatchenko prompted the deployment of Nir Bitton at centre-back. The Israeli midfielder was largely a picture of assurance in an unfamiliar role.
Further forward, Moussa Dembele’s hamstring problem left Leigh Griffiths as the only recognised senior striker. The Scot accepted the responsibility by producing an excellent all-round contribution that was more provider than predator.
‘That shows the depth we have,’ insisted Sinclair. ‘The players who come off the bench are just as good as the starters. It means everyone is fighting for their place. That’s great competition for everyone.’
In midfield, that has been maintained by Stuart Armstrong set to sign a new contract. While the Scot started on the bench on Wednesday, Olivier Ntcham produced his best performance yet, following a £4.5m switch from Manchester City.
‘That is great to hear,’ said Sinclair of Armstrong. ‘Stuart is a great player. Hopefully, he will get his situation sorted. It’s always the case when things take some time.
‘And Olivier was great. In every game you can see him growing more confident and that’s what the gaffer brings out of players.’