‘ When I come back to Celtic Park now I’m like a supporter’
Lustig praises new- look side as he makes return to Parkhead as a fan
IT’S fair to say there have been significant changes at Celtic since Mikael Lustig’s last outing at Parkhead. The fan favourite spent seven and a half years as a regular fixture in the Celtic line- up but felt more like a supporter than former player as he watched the win over Hibs at the weekend – his first time back at the stadium he called home in almost four years.
In fact, Lustig had the sense of a “tourist” at Celtic Park as he took in the familiar, yet somewhat unfamiliar surroundings with an almost entirely new squad in place and Ange Postecoglou in the dugout. There was one similarity however, Celtic were winning.
The former Sweden internationalist lifted 16 trophies in his time at Glasgow including playing his part in a historic triple treble – but few remain who he shared a dressing room with at Parkhead.
“There’s only Callum [ McGregor], Jamesie [ Forrest], Tony Ralston and [ Scott] Bainy left from my time,” said Lustig on the dramatic change at the club. “Callum has been unbelievable [ as captain]. There’s been a lot of new players coming in from all around the world and to have Callum as a proper Celtic boy has been really important.
“Obviously he played under Broony [ Scott Brown] but he’s not tried to be Broony. He’s just been himself and you can see he’s a calm guy. He maybe doesn’t talk as much but the way he plays and trains is just top, and that is why he’s been so good.”
Lustig mightn’t have been familiar with the new players in Postecoglou’s squad but he’s certain they possess the same attitude and determination as the Celtic squad’s he played in – as he insisted the current first- team can be compared with Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic squad.
“It’s hard to say,” he said when asked where the current first- team ranks with former Celtic squads. “They are doing so well. You can absolutely compare them with the Brendan Rodgers team with the way they play. When Ange came in, no one knew anything about him. He brought a lot of players in you hadn’t heard of and you were a little unsure about what would happen with Celtic. But since the first day they have been playing so well.
“The strength with our team is the same with this one – it doesn’t matter what players are in the starting XI. They are going to perform really well. You are always comfortable when you watch them. You are never nervous they are going to slip up because you know they will push on.”
Lustig nailed down the right- back role at Celtic for near- enough his entire time at the club, and he is thrilled to have watched January recruit Alistair Johnston follow suit – even if it’s in a tweaked role.
“He’s made the perfect start,” said Lustig of Johnston. “His first game
was the derby as well. That’s football. He took his chance straight away and ever since then he’s been really reliable.
“He played on the big stage with Canada at the World Cup and he’s been fantastic since day one. I’m really happy for him.
“I played the inverted full- back role a little bit. With Brendan, we had KT [ Kieran Tierney] who pushed on and I stayed back a bit.
“I always liked to get forward and I would have loved to have played under Ange at the moment. It would suit me quite well I think.”
While the changes in personnel were evident to see for Lustig firsthand on his return to Celtic Park, one thing that never changed was the support inside the stadium as he saluted the passionate and demanding support for the club.
“It was nice to be back. They were struggling a bit in the first half and I thought I might have been needed,” he joked of the 3- 1 win over Hibs. “But they turned it around, so that was good. It was amazing. It was almost four years since I was last at Celtic Park. It was great to see a full house and three points. There are lot
of special things about Celtic fans. There are so many of them, all over the world. They are never satisfied and that’s why we are always a good team, we keep on pushing. They are amazing. They are everywhere.
“I remember my first game in pre- season in Austria against some lower league teams and there were about 10 of them making noise and singing songs. When I come back to Celtic Park now I’m like a supporter or a tourist. I think, ‘ Wow, this place
is amazing’. You can forget that when you play so many games here, it all feels a bit unreal.
“It was the same when I quit playing for the national team and went to watch them play. It was cool.
“When you are in it, you don’t think so much about it, but when you step back and look it’s very cool.”
Lustig was on the pitch at halftime during the match and received a raucous ovation from supporters who he is hoping will also pack out the OVO Hydro for “A Night with Scott Brown and Mikael Lustig” on May 18. He added: “I’m looking forward to linking up with Broony once more and to be with the supporters again. I think we have a lot of stories together, so it will be good fun. Did I think he’d become a manager? Absolutely.
“He would always have really good chats with the managers, he always listened to them. He’s was obviously the captain for a long time and he was always clear about the fact he’d one day become a manager.
“He’s doing really well. They had a good cup run and they are doing well in League One, I’m really happy for him.”
They are doing so well. You can absolutely compare them with the Brendan Rodgers team