THE frequency of meetings between Scotland and Israel over the last few years has meant that Israeli internationals have almost become household names among Scottish football fans, and the same has been true in reverse.
So Liel Abada came into Glasgow knowing a good deal about the players he will be playing alongside having made the move to Celtic last week, and those he will be competing against for a place in Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI.
The pacey winger has been particularly impressed by James Forrest, which is hardly surprising given he bagged a hat-trick against Israel a couple of years back, and Abada says there is room in the Celtic side for both of them.
“Of course I have been watching those games and it’s exciting for me to now come and be team-mates with players like (Callum) McGregor, Forrest and (Ryan) Christie.
“I remember watching the 3-2 game when we lost at Hampden and James Forrest scored the hat-trick. He is an amazing player and I have spoken with him already about how we might link up on the pitch.
“I believe we can have a good collaboration on the pitch. I like to play on the right side of the pitch too but it’s no problem for me to play off the left or right through the middle either.
“I wouldn’t like to compare myself with anyone else though. I don’t study other players to try and copy what they do – I simply try to work on my own game and try to become the best possible player I can.”
While Abada was identified as a Celtic target prior to new manager Postecoglou’s arrival, the Australian spoke in glowing terms last week about the part he believes the Israeli can play in the Celtic attack.
“I participated in training for the first time on Friday, so it’s a bit early for me to comment on the project the manager has for the team.,” he said.
“But I really believe that if the team want me to be here then I will adapt quickly.”
Abada was among the substitutes at Celtic Park in yesterday’s friendly defeat to Preston, the winger getting his debut on the hour mark and showing some neat touches during his time on the pitch.
He almost marked the occasion with a goal, getting a powerful effort away from the edge of the box that forced a good save from visiting goalkeeper Declan Rudd.
It may prove to have been a useful exercise, as with James Forrest not in the squad at all yesterday, his services may be required come Tuesday night’s Champions League qualifier against FC Midtjylland.
“I am always ready to play,” he said. “If the coach wants me for the game on Tuesday I will be happy to be involved.
“I am a player who believes in himself. I try to play to my maximum but also to get better. I believe that I can bring that confidence to the Celtic team.
“And I believe that this club will give me the chance to express myself and fulfil my potential.”
Another player Abada is looking forward to linking up with is fellow new arrival Kyogo Furuhashi, with the forward scoring on his last appearance for Vissel Kobe yesterday before heading to Glasgow to meet his new teammates.
“It’s always nice and positive to see lots of new players coming together,” Abada said.
“I know Kyogo is another attacker so there is really going to be healthy competition for those forward positions in the team.
“I’m ready to compete for my place and also with the team for the competitions this season.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel