McGregor says Dubai trip key to opening title gap
pace. We went into every game conf ident , hungr y and knowing exactly how we wanted to play.
“We probably didn’t imagine we would be this far in front.
“The mindset was a case of anyone who comes up against us, we’re going to play our football and if people couldn’t keep up with that we were going to be relentless.
“When we went to Dubai it was the same set-up and idea as we’ve had in previous years so everyone knew exactly what we were doing.
“We knew we were going to work really hard in the sessions and it has paid off.”
Meanwhile Neil Lennon believes the coronavirus crisis could create a massive culture change within the game in Scotland. The Celtic boss is convinced the current health crisis, which has forced sport across the globe into a shutdown, may greatly impact football in this country in a good way.
Despite the champions being 13 points clear at the Premiership summit , it’s expected the current state of limbo could last until at least August. And Lennon admits he’s suffering withdrawal symptoms from the absence of training or matches.
He said: “I don’t want to be getting up on my high horse and preaching to anybody but we might look back on this as a time when our society changed.
“I’m really missing football, I’m missing the players, the staff, the games, the colour, the noise, but it’s no bad thing to take a moment and appreciate what you’ve got.
“I think football will mean a lot more to a lot of people when it returns.
“What I’m seeing now is us going back to our roots, going back to community life with people looking out for each other and maybe we’d gone away from that. What’s happening is tragic but everybody is pulling together to try to get through it and that’s brilliant.”
With Celtic’s Lennoxtown base and the rest of the country on lockdown, Lennon says his squad is bursting to get back to action.
And some of his players could find self-isolating more testing than others.
He said: “They’re like caged animals. These are young, fit men who’re used to an almost regimented way of living.
“Their routine is training and playing. All of that is gone. Some of them will be cooking for themselves for the first time in their lives.
“Mentally, the change can put a st rain on them. They’re used to intensity and suddenly it’s not there.
“We’re very aware of the mental health side of this. We all need to keep our well-being in order. As long as I can get out and get some exercise for my own peace of mind then I’m fine.
“The silence is just deafening when you go out for a wal k . The place is deserted. We just have to ride it out a s best we can . We’re all in the same boat.
“We want to play all the games but I don’t know if it’s possible. It’s not the main concern. We’ ll do what we can, but the important thing is everybody stays safe.”