Celtic are the worst club to play for when it comes to time off in the summer
SAYS MIKAEL LUSTIG
B ARRING him taking possession of a self-cloning machine over the course of the weekend, there is every chance Mikael Lustig will feel like he is letting someone down in the coming weeks.
Simultaneously being a Swedish international and a Celtic player is hardly a chore, but there are times when the schedules of each overlap to the point where it simply becomes impossible to satisfy two masters.
As many of Lustig’s team-mates prepare to head for foreign climes after the ticker-tape settles on a fifth successive title tomorrow, the 29-year-old defender will only be able to squeeze in a truncated break.
In just four weeks’ time, Sweden take on Ireland in Saint-Denis, Paris, in their opening Group E match of Euro 2016. But, before then, they face pre-tournament friendlies with Slovenia in Malmo on May 30 and Wales in Stockholm on June 5.
If that tight schedule precludes him from switching off for as long as he would like to, the prospect of his country progressing to the latter stages in France is potentially another difficulty in the rear-view mirror.
In the unlikely event that Sweden make it to the Final on July 10, Lustig — theoretically at least — would be due to turn out in Celtic’s first Champions League qualifier just two days later.
‘Celtic is probably the worst club to play at when it comes to time off in the summer,’ said Lustig.
‘We have qualification for the Champions League every year and, if you are an international player, you will always have games in June.
‘So, in a normal summer, I would say you have three weeks off. A lot of teams have had as much as eight or nine. That is a big difference, especially here when you don’t get a break in the winter, albeit we will get one next season.’
While the trophy that Celtic will parade at tomorrow’s home game against Motherwell is a reminder that nothing is won in the early weeks of the season, the reality for the Parkhead club is that many of their hopes and dreams can be lost before the domestic fare begins.
The three ties that now separate Celtic from the group stage are enormously season-defining. Clear those three hurdles and the winter league season becomes infinitely more tolerable. Fail, however, and it becomes more of a bind.
‘I don’t know if it suits me,’ added Lustig. ‘Of course, it’s a massive thing to go to the Euros and everyone wants that, but it isn’t possible to have a long break.
‘It is not easy. The first couple of months of the season are so important for us and we must be ready. In a perfect world, you want to have a pre-season for four or five weeks to build up your whole body for the season.
‘But at Celtic, you start playing games right away. That is just how it is, tough.’
Mercifully for Ronny Deila’s successor as manager, the injury problems that have blighted Lustig’s four years in Glasgow have not been so evident in this campaign. The Swede has featured in 46 of his club’s 56 games to date —– an improved attendance record that isn’t just down to chance. ‘I have maybe a week off after Sunday but I feel fine and I have felt that way over the last nine months,’ he said. ‘Of course, it’s tough for the body. When you are out, get back in and then get injured again, that is also tough mentally. On a personal level, the main thing for me this season is that I’ve stayed fit. Playing games is why you play football. ‘I went back to doing exactly the same as I did after games when I played in Norway, like being in the gym. Things that I know work for my body. ‘I’ve done that all season. Hopefully, it stays good for me. I do feel good approaching the Euros. It’s now one game for Celtic plus two friendlies for Sweden before the Euros start.’ In the aftermath of their Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers, the fitness shown by Deila’s men — or rather the perceived lack of it — became the hottest of topics. Leigh Griffiths succinctly rubbished that theory — describing it as b ****** — and Lustig believes that too much was read into an admittedly bad day at the office. ‘It was a big game, which we lost on penalties,’ he continued. ‘We knew we would get stick and people were going to talk, saying some players were finished and that we needed to change some players. ‘But that’s football. It can quickly change. You can look really fit one match and not as sharp the next getting up and down the pitch. You can look as though you’re only managing to do 20 minutes. ‘Of course, it was a really poor game from us. We were really bad. ‘If we just played a normal game, with possession and creating more chances, I think we would have won.’
The defeat may not in itself have pushed Deila towards the Parkhead exit door but the fact the Norwegian announced his departure two days later pointed towards it being central to his thought process.
At some point in the coming days, it will be someone else’s problem. David Moyes, Roy Keane, Malky Mackay and Neil Lennon are some of the candidates whose credentials are being picked over near and far.
‘Yes, we’ll talk about it,’ said Lustig. ‘No one knows who the new manager will be. But it would be strange if we didn’t speculate.’
Inevitably, the changing of the guard will spell bad news for some. Lustig, however, prefers to look upon what is sure to be an eventful summer with his glass half-full.
‘It absolutely is an exciting time, with the thought of a fresh start,’ he declared.
‘We’ve enjoyed working with the gaffer. But it is going to be a new start and we don’t know if he (the new manager) will bring in new players, or if some players will go.
‘So much has to be decided and, of course, it is going to be an important time. All I can do is focus on my football, see who the new manager is and then have a chat with him to find out how the future is going to be for me.’
I would say you have three weeks off. A lot of teams have eight or nine