EDOUARD STILL A LEGEND, SAYS McGREGOR
McGregor hopes botched Old Firm effort won’t taint striker’s legacy if he exits Parkhead
CALLUM McGregor hopes it doesn’t happen. Come midnight tomorrow, the Celtic captain would be delighted to see Odsonne Edouard still within the squad.
But if a bid does arise that means the French striker played his last match at Ibrox yesterday, McGregor is clear about how Edouard should be remembered. As one of the club’s modern greats.
Such an assessment might not necessarily have sprung to the minds of disappointed Celtic fans at full-time in their latest derby defeat.
Edouard botched a 25th-minute chance that was as clear as any his side fashioned. It was a pretty pivotal moment.
Without a goal to back up their superior first-half approach play, Celtic were left vulnerable to a much-improved Rangers showing after the interval. Filip Helander’s header from a 67th-minute corner ultimately made the difference.
Clearly, though, Edouard’s overall contribution to the Parkhead club has been far more substantial. Hence the relentless transfer speculation of the past two years.
Crystal Palace, Everton and Rubin Kazan of Russia are among the clubs now being linked with the 23-year-old — who is in the final ten months of his Parkhead contract — as the deadline ticks ever nearer.
Asked about the possibility of Edouard leaving, McGregor said: ‘It’s obviously speculation and hopefully we can keep him. But if that happens, then he’s one of the greats.
‘He scored so many big goals for us — derby goals, cup final goals. If that’s the case (that he leaves), I hope everybody remembers him in a good light. But we want to keep him obviously.’
Edouard’s opportunity wasn’t the sole one for Celtic. Ange Postecoglou admitted he should have played Kyogo Furuhashi through the middle from the start. When the Japanese forward was moved there, with Edouard substituted after Helander scored, he twice drew saves from Robby McCrorie in the home goal.
Ultimately, though, the bare facts of yesterday’s game had a painful familiarity for those in green-and-white. Another setpiece concession against Rangers. And another derby defeat.
McGregor readily admits that vulnerability has to be addressed but he is confident this season will not become the same old story in comparison with last term’s toils.
While now seven Old Firm games without a win, he saw enough in the latest instalment to retain belief that Celtic are on the right course under Postecoglou.
Keep calm and carry on would be McGregor’s core message.
‘When you lose these fixtures there is always a panic button moment and everybody jumps on it,’ admitted McGregor.
‘But from six weeks ago to where we are now, there has been a lot of progression and we can’t lose focus.
‘We let everyone else do the talking, they can hype it up as much as they want. But the only way we are going to get better and progress is if we stay calm and listen to the manager and continue to build on the performance. And if you perform well, normally you get results.
‘We have to remain calm while some people maybe will try to hype it up.
‘You are always disappointed to lose derby matches, I think we showed enough in the game that we could win it. If not win it, then definitely get a draw. We have to learn from that experience. You dominate the ball and play well enough to win but ultimately you lose on a set-piece and it hurts.
‘But there is a lot of football to be played, three more derbies coming up in the league, so we have the chance to put it right.’
Clearly, one thing Celtic need to correct over the interim is a persistent weakness against dead-ball deliveries from their rivals. It goes right back to the start of Rangers’ dominant derby run, when a towering Niko Katic header from another Borna Barisic corner gave Steven Gerrard’s men victory in December 2019.
Last season, you could think back to goals from Connor Goldson and Alfredo Morelos at Parkhead, or even the McGregor own goal at Ibrox.
From a Celtic perspective, there was an unwelcome sense of deja vu about the way Helander was able to head home and give Covid-hit Rangers the perfect lift early in this new title race.
‘In terms of losing these type of games to set-plays, then, yes,’ said McGregor when asked about the problem of repeat offending.
‘We have to try and eradicate last season. It’s a different team, different manager, different players.
‘We have to try and write our own story. And we have to try and get better every time we play so that when we get to these moments we are strong.
‘Ultimately, we have to learn from these experiences if we want to grow as a team and get better.
‘That is the disappointing factor, the game is tight, both teams have got chances and you lose it on a set-play. You can try and set up and deal with it but ultimately when the ball comes in the box someone needs to clear it. We take the disappointment and learn from it.’
Rangers are due to visit Parkhead on January 2, by which the time the overall shape of this league season will be much clearer.
Asked if he expected Celtic to be stronger by then, McGregor added: ‘I think so. If we stay calm, learn and put into practice what the manager wants us to do. If we buy in and believe this is the way to play, it’s shown it can cause other teams problems.
‘We have to take that as a positive. It’s a long time to the next derby. There are a lot of games to come, including some big European ones we can learn from.
‘That’s the challenge for us, to keep getting better every day in training. Then, when we come to these games, to make sure we end up on the right end of the result.’