HOME & HOSED
Christie: It was tough to watch us losing last Old Firm game from my house but we have turned the corner now and we’re looking back to our best
We’LL all carry our own memories from 2020 and most of them will be the kind we’d rather forget.
For Ryan Christie, one day in particular probably sums up this year of abject misery.
Sitting alone in his front room, self- isolating after being caught up in a Covid controversy despite testing negative for the virus, watching his team-mates being ripped apart by Rangers on their pitch.
So it’s little wonder Christie hopes to start the New Year by blotting that one out.
A win at Ibrox tomorrow would not just help to ease the pain but would fire up Celtic’s title credentials at a critical moment in the campaign.
And after rattling up four league wins on the spin, Christie believes the champions are now ready to settle that score.
The Scotland man was ordered to stay home after track and trace experts identified him as a close contact of Stuart Armstrong while on international duty.
The 25-year-old said: “It was frustrating watching it from home the way it panned out the last time. A few boys who missed out on that game will be desperate to be involved in this one and get a taste of it for the first time this season.
“But we know it will be difficult to come out on top.
“Rangers have been in good form this season but we don’t expect anything else.
“We’ve been right up there at the top over the last few seasons and when you have success like we have done,done you know everyone else will be pushing to get closer to that level.
“Yes, we’ve been frustrated by our indifferent form. But we feel we’ve come through that and now we look back to our best again. That’s what we need going into this weekend.”
Christie insists this second Old Firm clash of the season is not a must-win match as far as the champions are concerned. Well, he would do wouldn’t he?
“It’s not a must win because we’ve still got plenty of games to go,” was how he put it.
But the truth of the matter is Celtic will fall 19 points behind if they are roughed up again by their old rivals and – even with three games in hand – it’s difficult to see how they could recover from that position. positi After all, this is a club that is only just about getting over that last derby defeat from way back in October and the foamy-mouthed, car park pandemonium which followed soon after.
As a result of this chaos, manager Neil Lennon has only just about clung on to his job on the understanding that it will be reviewed again early this year.
In other words, if ever Celtic faced a must-win derby then surely it is this one.
Christie added: “Obviously to win the derby, first and foremost, and get a bit of revenge for the first one when there were a lot of different factors that came into play.
“Obviously we’re desperate to win it and come out the other side. But there are plenty of games still to be played to find out who’s won the league.”
Christie, like the rest of us, must also wait to discover what Lennon’s starting XI will look like for this monumental meeting of Glasgow’s perpetually feuding neighbours.
Much chopping and changing has gone on over these last four weeks as the boss has attempted to steady the ship and steer it safely through to the other side.
At times it has felt like a patch-up job or a series of running repairs.
And that continued on Wednesday when Lennon unexpectedly brought keeper Vasilis Barkas back in from the cold ahead of the Ibrox clash.
Skipper Scott Brown, though, a colossus of this fixture, remained planted on
Yes,we’ve frustra been indiffer our tedby we ent form. feel we’ve But throug come hthatnow RYAN OPTIMIST CHRISTIE ICABOUT ISMORE ATHOOPS FUTURE
Lennon’s bench watching Ismaila Soro and David Turnbull run his midfield.
On top of all that, when Christopher Jullien had to be wheeled away on a stretcher against Dundee United, Lennon turned to Nir Bitton to replace the Frenchman rather than tell Shane Duffy to get stripped.
Tomorrow the world will discover what Lennon believes his strongest starting XI now looks like.
Christie said: “We’ll wait and see who’s in the line-up.
“The squad’s done very well over the last few games.
“We’re scoring goals and keeping clean sheets.
“We’re in a good run going into the game.”
Soro’s performance against Micky Mellon’s men has probably gone some way to making Lennon’s mind up.
Not only did he come up with a stunning breakthrough goal – albeit one which keeper Benjamin Siegrist waved into the back of the net.
His boundless energy and precision passing helped Celtic control the middle of the park.
Christie added: “We were delighted for him to get that goal. A few of the boys were asking if the goalie is his best friend, right enough!
“But he struck it well. It popped up nicely for him to come off the side of the boot and it was always curling away from the goalkeeper.
“It was a great strike from him and obviously when teams come in and sit deep against you, you need to sometimes have shots from range to pull them out a bit, so it’s even better when they fly in.
“I would have been proud of that one myself. But my efforts these days just fly into the stands so I’ll leave the shooting to him from now on.
“He has done really well lately, along with David, and absolutely they’ll be ready for a game like Saturday’s.
“The form they’rey carrying yg into this gameme couldn’t be any better. They are both full of confidence. dence.
“Obviouslysly David also got a goal and has been scoringcoring a few recently. y.
“So yes, therehere is no better form to be in going ng into such a big game.”