Hoops’ exit from Europe may not be a bad thing in the long run, says O’riley
Matt O’riley subscribes to the theory that Celtic can find a silver lining to crashing out of Europe.
The Hoops were less than impressive while losing both legs of their Europa Conference tie against Norwegian champions, Bodø/glimt.
There’s a question remaining about the Parkhead side’s repeated disappointments in Europe. But O’riley, like most supporters, is prepared to park that thought for the moment.
He believes that a less-demanding schedule should help them concentrate on their main aim of recapturing the cinch Premiership title.
“It will help us and that has to be the focus for us now,” said O’riley.
“We’ve got the league and the Scottish Cup to concentrate on.
“We want to win both of them and we feel like we can.
“The mood is still good in the camp. We’re disappointed about Thursday night, but it gives us more chance to focus on the league.
“A lot of people outside, like the fans, won’t feel this is the end of the world because we can concentrate on the title and Cup.
“The title is definitely there for us and it’s our intention to win the league.
“It’s still early days. There’s lots of football to be played but if that wasn’t our intention, there wouldn’t be any point.
“We’re feeling good and ready to push on now. There are lots of important games coming up, so we’ll focus on them and see where it can take us.”
Both the 21-year-old and his Australian midfield colleague Tom Rogic (inset) were hooked at half-time during Thursday’s 2-0 defeat.
Are they too similar in style to play together against an aggressive, attacking team? O’riley doesn’t give that suggestion any credence.
He said: “Good players can play with good players, and the defensive side of things comes down to more than just two players.
“We’ve only started two games together and it’s been against, arguably, the best team we’ve faced this season. So it’s never going to be easy. If we started with a different midfield, it could have been worse – or better.
“It comes down to more than that. As a team, we just weren’t good enough on or off the ball.
“We got picked off at times.
“And even though we lost, I still felt we showed enough to get more than the overall result.”
It’s back to domestic duty for Ange Postecoglu’s side this afternoon, and they’re desperate to bounce back from the European flop by beating Hibs at Easter Road.
The game will see O’riley facing a familiar face.
He started his career at Fulham, and Hibs currently have forward Sylvester Jasper on loan from the London club.
O’riley said: “I know Sylvester and he’s a good player. He’s very positive and a guy who likes to drive at defenders.
“He’ll be one of their guys to watch out for, but I’m sure they’ve got quality elsewhere.
“Hibs are a good side from what I’ve heard. They have loads of good players – but Sylv is a guy who can make stuff happen.
“We’ll be ready for him and the rest of the team.
“I’m not sure what his situation is at Fulham, but he’s still really young at 20. He’s got plenty of time.
“The main thing at that age is to play regular football.”
One man flying for Fulham this season is Serbian striker, Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has already bagged more than 30 league goals.
O’riley agrees that Celtic have a striker who looks something like Mitrovic in Giorgos Giakoumakis.
He added: “I think their styles are very similar. They’re both very strong and like to hold the ball up.
“When they’re in the box, they’re very sharp so there are definite similarities there.
“And it would be nice if he got as many goals as Mitrovic. He’s absolutely flying right now for Fulham.
“They’ll go up this season, and it helps when you’ve got a guy like that scoring so many goals.”