“Performances like today are not good enough, we’ve got to improve,” CCV

The Celtic Star

·17 March 2025

“Performances like today are not good enough, we’ve got to improve,” CCV

Cameron Carter-Vickers spoke to the media after Celtic’s 3-2 Glasgow Derby defeat to theRangers at Celtic Park yesterday afternoon…

Maik Nawrocki moves in as Cyriel Dessers battles for the ball with Cameron Carter-Vickers during the Scottish Premiership match at Celtic Park, Celtic v theRangers, 16 March 2025. Photo O Rourke/Shutterstock

Q: Your thoughts on that, Cameron?

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Cameron Carter-Vickers: “Yeah, I thought we didn’t start the game well, obviously, considering early on. Probably more on the ball than anything, we just didn’t seem to kind of keep the ball well enough and kind of pin them back the way we usually do and the way we want to do. And that kind of led to them having a few chances from our mistakes or counter-attack chances that they created first half. Second half was better, obviously scored the two goals. Kind of progressed through the pitch a bit better than we did in the first half and created a few chances, obviously. And then, you know, disappointing to see concede at the end of the game.”

Q: Can you talk us through the third goal, did you get a shout?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “No, it was just over my head, I couldn’t see. I followed Dessers in, it went above our heads. And then, I don’t know what happened, but I think Ali might have slipped when he went to clear it. And from there, it kind of ricocheted back into Igamane’s path and he scored the goal.”

Q: How concerning is it, Cameron? We’re just saying you lost nine goals to theRangers in the last three games. Is that concerning to you guys?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “Yeah, I think so. It’s definitely frustrating. Like I said, they kind of create chances without having too much possession, I think. They kind of wait for us to make a mistake and then kind of pounce on it and go from there. So, it’s definitely frustrating.”

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Callum McGregor of Celtic is seen during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg Training And Press Conference at Lennoxtown Training Centre on February 11, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Do you give yourself some kind of slack because Callum was missing, he’s such an important player for you?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “He’s definitely an important player, obviously. He’s our captain. But, you know, I think with or without him we can be better, especially on the ball. I think too many times we kind of play forward and it’s kind of a poor giveaway. And they kind of get at us from there. I definitely think, like I said, second half was a bit better in terms of progressing the ball forward and getting through the pitch. But, you know, it probably wasn’t good enough.”

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Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, looks on prior to the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and theRangers at Celtic Park on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: How was the manager after the game, and also at half-time? Because this is not a fixture, he’s lost too many times. I’d imagine he wasn’t too chuffed. How was he?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “Obviously, he told us what he thought about the game. You know, at half-time, he said it wasn’t good enough. Second half, like I was saying, a bit better. Obviously scored two goals, but to concede at the end is obviously disappointing. And, you know, none of us want that.”

Q: Does a result like this make you more determined to now go on that kind of run towards the end, that you really slam home how far you are ahead?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “I mean, we wanted to do that before this game, and obviously after this game we want to do the same. We’ve got a comfortable kind of lead in the table, and that’s good. That shows the good work we’ve done so far up to this point, but we definitely want to continue until the end of the season. Performances like today are probably not good enough, and we’ve got to improve.”

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Q: How do you feel Maik Nawrocki did alongside you?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “I think Maik done well. I thought he had a good game, he was solid enough, won most of his duels. Like I said, second half, I don’t think they created much. I think they had the counterattack from our corner, I think Luke (McCowan) got the block on that, and obviously the goal at the end, apart from that, second half, I don’t think they had much.”

Q: Did you think when it went 2-2 that it was only going to be one winner, and you were going to get it?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “I mean, that’s the way it looked. Obviously, we know in these games anything can happen, and we’ve got to defend the third goal better, but I think second half we were definitely the team looking to score. That’s partly score related, obviously, with 2-0 down, so we kind of have to go for it, and then maybe feel like they can sit back and contain. But yeah, even when it went to 2-2, I thought we were probably the team trying to score the winner, but it just didn’t come.”

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Cameron Carter-Vickers of Celtic holds off Cyriel Dessers of the Rangers as Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel catches the ball. Celtic v theRangers, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 16 March 2025 Photo: Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

Q: You responded well to the result at Ibrox, so do you expect to see a similar kind of reaction to this in the remaining games of the season?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “100 per cent, that’s what we’re going to do every game. We’re going to go out there and perform well and win, and obviously we’ve got international break now, but after that, focus will be on the next league game.”

Q: Is it hard to ignore the points cushion, because the jeopardy isn’t quite the same when you’ve got 16 or 13 point lead, is it?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “I mean, it’s a position you want to be in. You want to be as many points ahead as you can be. That doesn’t mean that you can lose games of football. We know that, and we never want to lose, and we’ve always got to try and win and perform well. It’s just reality. I don’t think there’s really a mindset switch from us at all. We were aware of the points gap, but we want to add to that if anything. But obviously, we’re going to cater to that.”

Q: You mentioned that international break there. How difficult is it that you have to wait two weeks to try and put the result right?

Cameron Carter-Vickers: “It’s football. There are breaks in the season and stuff like that. Internationals are coming now, so boys will go away and play for the national team. But when we get back, we’ll be focused on winning our next game.”

Conor Spence

Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books. Photo: The Celtic Star.

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