McGregor’s appetite undiminished as
Celtic captain may be a stalwart of the fixture but enthusiasm for taking on arch rivals is as great as ever
CELTIC stalwart Callum McGregor stares down his 38th appearance against Rangers this afternoon – his 11th as captain. To call him a veteran of Scottish football’s flagship fixture is, surely, an understatement.
With 20 wins, 11 losses and six draws under his belt, the 30-year-old has experienced all the highs and lows and in-betweens the Old Firm derby has to offer, and has earned his stripes by way of triumphant scorelines and well-earned silverware dating back to 2016.
Still, loath to entertain even the thought of familiarity or, worse still, complacency, the central midfielder remains certain every single one of these fiery encounters is unique in its own right.
“Every one of these games is different, and every one throws up a different challenge,” McGregor said. “There are multiple different ways to win these games and you have to find the right way when the game kicks off.
“You can have a plan, something might happen and you’ve got to change and find a solution in the 90th or 95th minute of the game.
“Today will be no different, but we intend to go and be as aggressive as we possibly can but something might be thrown up and we still have to find a way to do whatever it takes to get the win.”
Viewed through a broader lens, today’s encounter certainly breaks from the status quo of recent years, where one clear frontrunner has established themselves in pole position by this late stage in the season.
Barring Rangers’ emphatic titlewinning trail of 2020/21, that’s invariably been Celtic since McGregor burst onto the first-team scene in 2014, but with three points separating the sides in Celtic’s favour, and just two more cinch Premiership fixtures remaining, there’s an added edge to this match that’s been missing for some time.
A win for Celtic would mean Brendan Rodgers’ men need just one more point from Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Wednesday and St Mirren at home after that to make sure of a third successive league title.
Should Philippe Clement’s side win or even hold the hosts to a draw, on the other hand, then the final week of Premiership football will be as nail-biting as it’s ever been.
Despite a lacklustre first-half display at Ibrox last Sunday, Rangers ultimately dominated 10-man Kilmarnock over the course of the 90 minutes, winning 4-1 and matching Celtic’s 3-0 victory over Hearts the day before.
During the latter, McGregor rallied the home crowd with a ferocious tackle on Kenneth Vargas just before half-time – the Celtic captain having tracked the forward half the length of the Celtic Park pitch in the process, with his side leading the game 2-0 in that moment.
“[That] felt good,” said McGregor. “Obviously coming back from injury and you are getting up to speed again, it’s a good moment to put it to bed. You feel good and things are moving in the right direction.
“Then the crowd’s reaction gave us another level in the game. And then I thought we were really good in the last 25 minutes. We showed great quality and could have won the game by more.”
Celtic went on to beat Hearts 3-0 on the day, and while the football on display and the scoreline after the whistle was impressive, the tangible sense of unity between the home support, the players and the manager was something McGregor similarly enjoyed.
The Scotland internationalist’s heroics illustrated a player back to full fitness following the injury that saw him sidelined earlier this season, returning only in bursts over the last few weeks with limited minutes per game.
As per the Celtic captain’s own admission, having him return in this manner was well ahead of the projected schedule behind the scenes, as he stressed that it was a risk but one that he and those advising him felt was worthwhile.
Given the magnitude of this afternoon’s derby, this seems like a fair assessment from the 30-year-old – as a player who both revels in the fixture and who knows the angst of being forced to watch on from the sidelines.
He added: “Touch wood, nothing goes wrong now. You are always trying to get up to speed and then sometimes something happens in the game and you just have to react. Your brain takes over and you have a moment like that.
“I’m [definitely] moving much better now. I think just given the nature of the injury and the timeline they got given right at the beginning, I think that’s why there has been a bit of confusion around it.
“The timeline was quite extensive and we sort of had a chat as a group that we wanted to try and be as aggressive as possible so that we could get back in time for these games and the finish to the season.
“I think if you ask any footballer, when you get injured it is probably the most difficult time in your career, especially when you are coming into the business end of the season when the trophies are getting handed out. The last thing you want to be doing is sitting watching it all unfold. You can’t get inside there and help your team-mates.”
It’s said to the point of cliche, but
for good reason: a fit club captain is the first name on any team sheet, and McGregor is no exception.
Still, the central midfielder knows his job and knows it well – and that includes his position as skipper on and off the pitch, ensuring younger players or those not long through the door understand and embody the expectations set by him and the club itself.
If everyone does that, McGregor reckons, then Celtic will be in a good place come full-time this afternoon.
“There’s been no secret made that we’ve had to show a lot of resilience as a club this season,” McGregor said. “Difficult moments, being ahead, sort of throwing it away a little bit, but then wresting the control back again.
“You get a change of manager, players leaving and coming in, so you
then have to try and build a new team and these things take time.
“But the one thing we have always done is stick by each other and keep pushing and keep trying to get better.
“And, just naturally, when you get to the business end of the season, then the whole thing comes alive a little bit as well.
“For sure, the atmosphere in the stadium, the performance, everything [last weekend] was a really good moment for the group, the supporters and the club.
“Hopefully, we can push on in a positive way again.”