Old boy expects Italians to feel the heat in Parkhead cauldron

Sunday 10 February 2013

It is difficult to think of Shaun Maloney's status as being that of a veteran.

Shaun Maloney has not been surprised by Celtic's progress Photograph: PA

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Frank Gilfeather

Yet, at 30, he has reached that stage of his career where he has fame, fortune and the respect of fellow professionals who recognise that, despite his small stature in an increasingly physical arena, his performances at the highest level north and south of the border have demonstrated that skill has no barriers.

But, while his club, Wigan Athletic, continue their perennial fight to remain part of the lucrative Barclays Premier League, his thoughts on Tuesday night, will turn to the happenings in the east end of Glasgow where his former team embark on their next steps in the Champions League with their mouth-watering clash with Juventus.There is no great wave of envy from the Malaysian-born Scotland international. Nor is there excessive flag-waving on behalf of his former employer. Instead, there are measured replies and a stated admiration of James Forrest, potentially a talismanic figure against the Italian giants now back after a long absence through injury."I'm not surprised by what Celtic have achieved," Maloney said when back in his hometown of Aberdeen last week as part of Gordon Strachan's first squad as Scotland manager. "They always thought they had a chance, even if not a lot of other people did in a group with Barcelona in it. You always give them a chance of getting out of the group given their home record in European football and the way Parkhead becomes a cauldron on these European nights."There's a sort of underdog feeling at Celtic Park at every European game. The fans are so supportive. I've never played in an away tie that had that kind of atmosphere, though I believe that in Turkey it's quite similar. They are one-off occasions for Celtic each season and that's why it becomes such an amazing atmosphere."Maloney's personal favourite European night was in November 2006 when Shunsuke Nakamura's exquisite 30-yard free-kick goal and Artur Boruc's acrobatic, last-minute penalty-kick save from Louis Saha, secured a victory over Manchester United and smoothed their passage into the knock-out phase of the Champions League.On Tuesday night, however, the entire Celtic side must shoulder collective responsibility if they are to take such an important scalp as Juventus. "The way they have played in some of the European games as a team has been brilliant," Maloney said. "But the resolution of the defence and the midfield lets the forward players have more creativity because they know the defenders are doing well."And their goalkeeper [Fraser Forster] has been an absolute stand-out and a big reason why they got the results they did."If there is a player in the Celtic squad who might be compared to Maloney, it is Forrest, who is just as fast, direct, tenacious and technically aware as the man whose two spells at Parkhead was interrupted by a not altogether happy season at Aston Villa. Forrest, he said, was fulfilling the potential he recognised when they were both at Parkhead."I haven't seen too much of him this season, but before I left I thought he was a real big prospect and I think he's done even better than a lot of people thought he'd do. He's unbelievably talented, quick and he seems quite dedicated. I still speak to some of the Celtic staff and they tell me he works very hard. Fingers crossed, I hope he can overcome the little injuries he's had."I think he's probably had to deal with a bit more pressure than I did at his age because whenever he's been fit he seems to have played."It doesn't seem to have affected him mentally. He's the same lad I knew when he was 18 or 19, quiet and confident on the pitch. I think he'll get better and will become a big player for the country."

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Old boy expects Italians to feel the heat in Parkhead cauldron

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