Plastic pitches have no place in the pro game
Jozo Simunovic has insisted he is ready to put his aversion to plastic to one side for Celtic at Kilmarnock today. Since undergoing knee surgery in March, 2016, the Croatian has sat out five trips to Rugby Park, and only been risked once in a domestic game played on an artificial surface.
That came at Hamilton in September, 2017, and even then he was substituted in the second half. However, while backing the latest criticisms of grass substitutes made by Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, the Hoops defender insists it isn’t the case he opts out of such occasions.
“I am fit and I want to play,” he said.
“So it depends on the manager and what he decides.
“In terms of plastic pitches, it’s not possible in professional football. “There are none in Croatia.
“The winter there is colder, but they care about it. Especially over the last few years when they have invested in them.
“They have the undersoil heating and everything.
“So for me it’s very simple – they need to take them out here. “We need to go to Kilmarnock and play on plastic, we can’t change it. But I hope in the future they take them away.
“It’s probably going to take a few years.
“It affects the game for sure. But we have adapted to that, we have played on them for a few years now so we know what we can expect. “We want to go there, take the points and then be ready for Valencia.
“Is it an advantage for Kilmarnock? Probably, yes. Because most of the teams in our league play on normal grass.
“But it is no excuse. We go there and we know exactly what we want. It’s very simple.’
While all logic suggests Rodgers will again avoid risking his player, it is not a scenario which pleases the 24-year-old.
Fresh from a run of five straight games, Simunovic grudges the thought of another enforced interruption to his routine. “I’m going to go through that,” he said. “In the past I had a good rhythm of games and then when the plastic pitch came the gaffer wanted to rest me.
“I played on plastic pitches as a youngster. Especially when you go through football school.
“But in professional football? No, there’s a big difference.”
Looking further ahead, the Celt is defiant about Thursday’s Europa League return against Valencia.
“If we are going to play better then we have a chance,” he said. “We still have a few players missing but we are moving towards full strength and we have players who can play on the counter.”
“But it is simple. We need to be better in terms of our concentration.”