Lennon wants to go full throttle towards Treble No. 4 as he dismisses burnout
Celtic manager Neil Lennon insists he has no concerns about his key men becoming burned out, and instead wants them to go “full throttle” for a fourth- consecutive Treble.
The Parkhead side have now played 53 times across all competitions this term, with the likes of Scott Brown, Callum Mcgregor and James Forrest having featured in the majority of them.
Add in international commitments and some in the Hoops’ squad are close to 60 outings already this term.
Lennon, though, says he has no intention of resting any of his “special group”, as Celtic close in on the league title and the Scottish Cup, to add to the League Cup won earlier in the campaign.
He said: “I’m not really worried about the players. They’re showing no signs of their batteries running out at the moment, that’s for sure.
“Browny missed the Kilmarnock game and I think Callum has only missed two all season.
“Jamesie is one that you do have to keep an eye on a little bit, with the volume of games and some of the hits that he takes as well. But he bounces back and his form has been fantastic over the last month or so.
“I want to go full throttle. I want to win the league and the Cup. We’ve still got so much to play for. You need your important players to do that – and these guys are all important players.
“They’re very single- minded, and that’s how we always want them to be. Complacency can be your enemy sometimes. They’ve been well warned about that. They train well and are preparing themselves right.
“Their mentality sets them apart from others but also their ability and relentlessness. The core group is fantastic and they’re very special. Long may it continue.”
Rangers’ recent slump has given Celtic a massive lead at the top of the Premiership. But the manager won’t be taking anything for granted until the league trophy is back in the cabinet.
“Was February a pivotal month for us? I
don’t know. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Everyone is talking about the league already being over. But I’m not.
“We have to keep going until it’s mathematically impossible to get caught. We have to remain fully focused and playing as well as we can.”
Jeremie Frimpong has admitted he has played more often in his maiden season at Celtic than he had expected. But that there was no prospect of any player ever asking to be rested.
“Playing three games- a- week is exciting,” said the defender.
“You want to play as many games as possible and you should be excited for it. “The season so far has been good for me and the team. When I came in I knew I’d play at some point, but I didn’t know it would come so early.”
Celtic’s form has meant Lennon sticking with the bulk of the same team week after week. But he confirmed fringe players like Boli Bolingoli would feature again at some point, despite the defender playing only once since the winter break.
He added: “He’s in and around it, he’s fit and training. But the team is playing well, so it’s been difficult for him to break back through. He’s still in my thoughts for between now and the end of the season.”
Celtic have a free week now leading into next Sunday’s Old Firm game, after being knocked out of the Europa League by Copenhagen. And, although still frustrated by that exit, Lennon hopes to put the downtime to good use.
“If there’s any consolation of not being in Europe, it’s that the players get a bit more rest. It’s been a heavy schedule.
“The free week also gives me a chance as well to maybe occupy my time with something else. It’ll let me do a little bit of forward planning.
“I was bitterly disappointed to go out of Europe. We felt we could have made a decent fist of it. But we’ve bounced back quite well. I’m looking for a bit more of that next weekend.
“February was very hectic. But now we’re leading into the Rangers game and I want to get the build-up the best we can.”