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Petrov sure Ange can find relief with return of key men and run of Parkhead matches
IN his autobiography You Can Call Me Stan, stiliyan Petrov made a meaty revelation about his struggle to adapt to life in scotland. Feeling homesick and lonely, Celtic’s young Bulgarian began working in a friend’s burger van to help him learn English.
But even while able to communicate in the native tongue, a culture shock still awaited on the pitch every time the midfielder played an away game in the scottish top flight.
There, he found players regularly putting in an almost superhuman effort in a bid to get noticed in their 90 minutes in the spotlight.
Petrov’s own personal experience puts some context on Celtic’s dire away form under new boss Ange Postecoglou, with losses in the Premiership at Tynecastle, ibrox and the Tony Macaroni Arena.
The new-look Parkhead team now face three consecutive home matches against Raith Rovers in the Premier sports Cup tomorrow night, then Dundee United in the Premiership and Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League.
And Petrov believes the return of key players from injury such as captain Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Kyogo Furuhashi will help settle a team in transition before a return to away days next month at Pittodrie and Fir Park.
‘i got a shock when i came to scotland about just how tough it could be playing away from home,’ recalled Petrov.
‘When teams play against Celtic and Rangers, their performances go up 100 per cent. They raise their game and they fight for every single second on the pitch. That is their time to show what they can do.
‘i found it really difficult at first and it wasn’t just me either. We have seen lots of players coming from England or abroad and finding it difficult to adapt in Glasgow.
‘scottish football is a completely different competition. it took time for me to adapt and it will be the same for these new players at Celtic.
‘Of course it is a concern because, psychologically, players will now be going in to away games under pressure.
‘But this is a transition period for Celtic with a new manager and so many new players. They are all just trying to find their feet.
‘The manager is also dealing with so many injuries to key players and that also makes it difficult to win games.
‘Postecoglou has a lot to contend with but what i like about him is he’s quite calm and he takes things as they come.
‘he knows the challenges he faces but, when he gets his important players coming back, i think you’ll see a different Celtic.’
Petrov is critical of the length of time it took Celtic to pursue Eddie howe then fail to convince the former Bournemouth boss to succeed Neil Lennon. That meant precious time was wasted when a major rebuild was clearly required at Parkhead after the death of the club’s ten-in-a-row dream.
Petrov said: ‘There was a lot happening last season with Neil leaving and everyone knew the club would have to go through a transition. i think they missed the time when they had to do that and they’ve then had to do it very quickly with the manager and the new players.
‘it’s going to take time for them to be more consistent.
‘This is a brand new team with a lot of young players. You look at Liel Abada, Jota, Kyogo. They are good players but they haven’t played a lot on the big stage.
‘This is a young, inexperienced team that will take time to gel. They have played well at times but they are inconsistent. i think we have to expect it.’
While injuries to Furuhashi and Forrest have robbed the team of pace and threat, Petrov believes the biggest loss has been Callum McGregor. it is no surprise to the Bulgarian that Postecoglou wants to extend his influential captain’s current deal beyond 2024.
‘Callum has been instrumental at Celtic and not just this season,’ he said. ‘We’ve seen how much of a miss he is when he’s not there.
‘he has really matured as a player. You can see he leads the boys in the right way since he took over from scott Brown as captain.
‘he is a huge miss because he’s also one of the players who makes a difference in the big games.
‘You can understand why Ange wants him to sign a new contract. Everyone wants to keep their best players and he is one of the top guys. i really hope they can keep him for the long term.
‘i know there has been talk about England for a while but, at this moment, i think he understands his responsibility to lead this Celtic team.
‘The club are going through a transition and they need someone who has been here a long time and understands the club. Callum is taking his role very seriously and i hope it continues.’
Former Everton and Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy is yet to shine since joining on a four-year deal. But Petrov has backed the 30-year-old midfielder to come good once he is in shape.
‘We know he’s a good player,’ added Petrov. ‘he’s played a lot of games in the top league in England. But in football these days, you have to run and it’s difficult if you are not match fit.
‘it’s difficult for any player coming in who hasn’t played in a long time. But i’m sure the team behind Ange are working hard to get him up to speed.’ lStiliyan Petrov was speaking at The John Hartson Foundation Golf Day at Turnberry. The Hartson Foundation supports various cancer charities around the UK.