“We have to fix it and try and fix it as quickly as we can,” Callum McGregor

The Celtic Star

·05 de janeiro de 2025

“We have to fix it and try and fix it as quickly as we can,” Callum McGregor

Callum McGregor insists he and his teammates will ‘reset and go again’ this afternoon against St Mirren following Glasgow Derby disappointment on Thursday…

Celtic captain Callum McGregor and Danilo Pereira da Silva of Rangers during the Scottish Premiership match at Ibrox. theRangers v Celtic, photo O’Rourke/Shutterstock

Celtic kickstarted 2025 in the worst possible manner with a humilating 3-0 defeat to theRangers at Ibrox on Thursday afternoon. The manner in which Celtic were beaten came as a shock given the Hoops’ across all competitions during the first half of a hugely impressive campaign so far.

Vídeos OneFootball

Albeit a large gap remains at the top of the table between Celtic and the Ibrox club, extending the lead to 17 points would have put the league title beyond any doubt, and boosted the three-in-a-row Scottish champions confidence as they embark on a congested fixture schedule this month.

Rodgers will be expected a response

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, looks on prior to the SPL Premier League match between theRangers and Celtic at Ibrox on January 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Brendan Rodgers will be expecting a response from his players today who collectively underperformed three days ago in the third Glasgow Derby meeting of the season. It was a first defeat in seven against their bitter rivals, but focus will have to quickly shift to this afternoon’s important encounter versus the Buddies.

St Mirren’s back-to-back defeats since beating theRangers

26th December 2024 Scottish Premiership Football, St Mirren versus Rangers Jack Butland of theRangers concedes a penalty after fouling Greg Kiltie of St Mirren and a VAR check. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (Action Plus)

St Mirren themselves have suffered back-to-back defeats since surprisingly beating Philippe Clement’s side 2-1 in Paisley on Boxing Day.

Meanwhile, Hoops skipper Callum McGregor reckons it is back to the drawing board for the way in which Celtic tactically set up against their rivals in future matches whilst looking forward to putting more than a few wrongs right against St Mirren.

McGregor gave his thoughts on the way the game went after having some time to let the dust settle. “Yeah, they were set up with the low block and we were finding it hard to get through. We need to look at that and we need to tweak it a little bit to give us a wee bit more comfort in the game and allow us to get the territory that will make us comfortable.

“We have to fix it and try and fix it as quickly as we can”

Ianis Hagi of theRangers and Alistair Johnston of Celtic battle for a header during the SPL Premier League match at Ibrox on January 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“So, there’s a couple of wee warning signs there and a lot of the big moments in the game have come from that, the sort of transition moment where they’ve managed to block a pass and then play forward from there. There are signs there that we have to fix it and try and fix it as quickly as we can,” the Celtic captain said as reported by Daily Record. “You don’t want to lose any game of football, and especially when you lose, you feel it straight away. You feel the tension after the game, everybody’s feeling it.”

“So, yeah, there’s no point in trying to make excuses. We weren’t at the level, we never performed, and if you don’t do that, you don’t deserve to win. So, you have to find the solution to that quickly.”

Cameron Carter-Vickers of Celtic reacts during the SPL Premier League match between Rangers FC and Celtic FC at Ibrox Stadium on January 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The 31 year-old midfielder added: “It just shows you that if you’re not competitive in the game then as we can happen and I think over the piece we’ve been so good in these games that maybe everyone’s a bit like, oh, what happened there? It’s probably a testament to how well we’ve done and how much we’ve managed to come here and get results and play well.”

The pressure starts to build

“So, it’s just a reminder, you know, just that right team, well, if you’re not quite on the money then, you know, these games are tough and you can lose them and then, you know, the pressure starts to build. It was the game played out and obviously, they’re sort of fighting for the life a wee bit as well and they can pick energy in the game and we just, we didn’t get to get through it at all so that can happen.

Liam Scales blocks as Vaclav Cerny of Rangers shoots during the Scottish Premiership match at Ibrox, Rangers v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Photo O Rourke/Shutterstock

“You know, they’re good players, they’re a good team and then when you let them get momentum like that you’re going to struggle in the game.”

McGregor is well-versed in the aftermath of Glasgow Derby matches but has rarely felt the anguish of being on the losing side. Celtic’s captain aims on lifting the spirits inside the dressing room as the Hoops gear up for an important month — starting today against St Mirren.

Reset and go again

McGregor explained: “It’s important that we reflect on the game and then we get it out of system come Sunday against St Mirren. There’s a lot of football to be played in January and we just need to reset and go again.”

“That’s the good thing. There’s a game in three days, so we can try and rectify it. Obviously, it is a different opponent and everything else, but you can try and get it out of your system. There’s a lot of football in January, so just go back to trying to tick them off one at a time and get that performance, get the high energy and just tick them off one at a time.”

Conor Spence

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