If Ronny Deila, the Celtic manager, had cause to squirm at yesterday’s AGM at Celtic Park it was not for the reasons he may have feared beforehand. Publicly backed by the club chief executive, Peter Lawwell, and the chairman, Ian Bankier, Deila’s poor European form was criticised by only one shareholder who griped about going from the glory of watching his side humble Barcelona in 2012 to watching them implode against Malmo this summer. Lawwell was quick to impress upon the speaker that small snapshots do not give the bigger picture.
It is a hymn-sheet that Deila himself has sung from repeatedly this season. The Norwegian’s position has come under pressure, externally at least, after his failure to take the club into the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, followed by back-to-back defeats against Molde in the Europa League. It was the results against the team from his homeland that seemed to snap the patience of a section of the Celtic support in recent weeks, but the club remain unequivocal in their support of the manager.
Deila insisted in the aftermath of the AGM that he was not surprised to hear the plaudits spoken of him – “I talk to him [Lawwell] every day” – but he did acknowledge that the very public support of him was welcome in the aftermath of what has arguably been the most testing period of his stewardship of the club.
“It’s always important to hear but it was not a big surprise for me,” said Deila. “It’s nice to hear in public and important for the fans as well. That gives me confidence. It was the same in Stromsgodset. There were tough times in the first two years. We were bottom o the league when I got a new contract. But from there we rose up. I don’t get stressed about it because I know the people understand we are building something. They are supportive of the process and everyone believes in what we are doing at Lennoxtown. I see we will get there in the end. I am not talking about in Scotland. We have done well there, I am talking about getting into the Champions League.
One of the criticisms that has been levelled at Deila this season is that he has been too loyal to Stefan Johansen, who has been unable to sustain the form that won him the SPFA Player of the Year award last term. In an attempt to encourage the midfielder to get back to playing at the level he can, Deila has told the player to take a break – Johansen will play no part in today’s game against Kilmarnock and he is suspended for Thursday night’s Europa League game against Ajax – and although the Celtic manager put a metaphorical arm around the shoulder of his younger countryman, he did seem to hint that there is an element of some of last season’s plaudits going to his head a little.
“It’s not about attitude, it’s about focus,” said Deila. “There’s a lot of expectation when you get a lot of praise. You need to deal with that. It’s sometimes harder to deal with the good times because in bad times everyone comes together to give you a lift.
“When Stefan was fantastic last year, he wasn’t that fantastic. Now he’s not that bad. It’s somewhere in between. I watch the body language of all the players every day. Not just him, everyone. Stefan Johansen is very good with people. He doesn’t think he is bigger than anyone else, if that is the picture that’s being painted. He’s one of the most social guys in the group - he’s a leader. He has the respect of everyone. It’s not about ego. It’s about mindset. He’s been challenged in a different way because of the expectations.
“You could say he hasn’t been as good as last year but last season everything was positive. He had loads of energy and every time he kicked the ball it went the right way. This year it’s been negative. The task is to build him up again and help him regain his confidence.”
Meanwhile, John Hughes, the Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager, will be disappointed to hear that Deila does not expect to see Ryan Christie off the premises again. The striker was signed from the Highlanders this summer but immediately loaned back to the club in a season-long loan deal with the option of a January recall. Christie sustained knee damage before the international break in a game against Motherwell and Celtic have sent him to a specialist to treat the problem.
“We’ve taken him in now,” said Deila. “He’ll be out for 6-8 weeks, so he’ll start training with us and working with the medical department now. I think he will have played his last game for Inverness.”
Celtic fans will be cheered to hear that Jozo Simunovic is fit to play against Kilmarnock today as his Tom Rogic, both of whom returned early from international duty over injury concerns. Kris Commons will miss the game with a thigh injury and a sickness bug while Charlie Mulgrew has resumed training but will need a few weeks before his back in contention to play first-team football. Deila will allow the players who were on international duty to take a breather with the exception of Mikael Lustig who is expected to feature against Killie.
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