HITTING NEW TARGETS
Turnbull still a goal threat and adding more to his all-round game under Postecoglou
ANY player who is deemed to have been the best at his club over the course of a campaign has plainly done something right.
When the season in question just happens to be your first at a club, the accomplishment tends to be all the more noteworthy.
The trouble for David Turnbull is that anything he achieved at Celtic last term was always going to be seen in context.
On and off the field, with not a fan in sight, the Parkhead side completely malfunctioned.
No one would consider the former Motherwell man’s nine-goal return to have been anything other than a success, yet it had to be viewed through a prism of collective failure elsewhere.
With a new manager and a muchchanged squad that would almost inevitably improve, the challenge for the 22-year-old midfielder this term was to prove he could still distinguish himself.
This has already been achieved, as evidenced by the seven goals and improved performances he has delivered under Ange Postecoglou.
‘Everyone knows I enjoy adding goals to my game and that’s something I’ve tried to do ever since I was a young boy,’ said Turnbull.
‘I like to help the team out by scoring and creating chances, so it’s good to chip in with a few.
‘I haven’t really set myself any targets, although there’s always a figure I look towards and, once I get there, it’s just about scoring as many as I can.
‘But I don’t feel that I need to get to a certain number.
‘The manager knows I like to have a go from long range but sometimes there’s a better pass on and he’ll tell me that after games.
‘He doesn’t try to take that out of my game but he’ll explain that there are other options and try to help me.’
One thing that Postecoglou is trying to put into Turnbull’s game is a little more defensive nous.
This does not exactly come naturally to a player who’s much more comfortable on the front foot than the rear.
However, he recognises the importance of everyone in the system doing their part when out of possession.
‘I’ve been trying to adapt,’ he added. ‘The coaching staff have been brilliant with me in trying to get that other side of my game to where it should be.
‘I feel I’m improving that aspect every single week — I enjoy learning new things and I feel that I’m doing that.’
Turnbull was denied his eighth of the campaign against Ferencvaros on UEFA’s say-so — with Hungarian defender Balint Vecsei awarded an own goal instead — so the midfielder’s sumptuous strike against his former club a few weeks back was his last goal.
Increasingly, though, the burden of scoring is being readily taken on more shoulders.
Between Celtic’s victory over the Hungarians and the wins over St Johnstone and Hibernian, six different players have contributed to seven goals.
Ahead of today’s game with Livingston at Parkhead, which could take Celtic to the top of the Premiership, that kind of thing breeds a certain confidence.
‘I’m just looking forward to the game and not thinking too much about that, although it would be good if that was the case afterwards,’ said Turnbull.
‘It’s a big game for us but they all are at the moment and we treat them exactly the same way.
‘We’ve had a few good results recently and it’s all about keeping that form up.
‘We’ve had a new manager, a new system and a lot of new players but I think everyone feels more settled now.
‘All the lads know what their job is and what the manager wants. At the start of the season, we were still waiting for players to come in and we had boys making their debuts the day after they flew in.
‘Now, though, everyone is thriving and looking forward to each match. Confidence levels are high after five wins in a row and it was a great 3-1 victory against Hibs at Easter Road on Wednesday.
‘We know how well we played in that first half but, even when things got tough after the break, we showed resilience to keep that two-goal lead and take the three points. But you tend to play well when you’re full of confidence.’
While the smart money is on Rangers doing enough to win at Motherwell tomorrow, the prospect of Celtic briefly leading the table is still indicative of a team that has come together of late.
From the moment Celtic drew at Kilmarnock in the second game of last season, they were playing catch-up, with the gap to Rangers soon becoming insurmountable.
The chance to lead from the front, even if it is only for one day, would make a welcome change.
‘It would be nice but we’ve put last season behind us,’ Turnbull stressed. ‘That’s been forgotten about.
‘This is a clean slate and a fresh start for everyone under the manager and we’re just going about our business quietly and doing what we can on the pitch.
‘For me, we’ve really clicked in the last four or five games. Everything has fallen into place and everyone is doing their own job properly.
‘It’s what the manager wants us to do — attack with freedom, score plenty of goals and create lots of chances while keeping the opposition out at the other end — and we’ve been doing that.’
There is a growing sense of unity among a new-look squad. The pictures on social media this week of various players enjoying meals together illustrates this. It feels a long way from this time last year.
‘Back in July and August, there were a lot of players arriving who maybe hadn’t trained for a while, who didn’t know many of the other guys and who were also maybe learning the language,’ added Turnbull.
‘It was hard for them coming here and trying to fit in, although it was easier for them than the new signings last year who weren’t able to mix with the rest of us after training because of all the Covid restrictions.
‘But we’re all together now as a group and I think that shows on the pitch.’
This is what Turnbull signed on the dotted line for; a month of defining league games, Ferencvaros, a League Cup semifinal against St Johnstone all either side of likely Scotland involvement against Moldova and Denmark.
He said: ‘The reason I came to a huge club like Celtic is to play in important games and there are a lot of them in the weeks ahead.
‘That’s something to relish and it’s great to be involved in it — it’s what you always wanted to do as a schoolboy.’