SEAD HAKSABANOVIC has insisted that Celtic do not need to be reminded of their domestic duties as they find themselves in a two-pronged campaign as they defend their champions status while competing in the UEFA Champions League.
Ange Postecoglou’s side head to Paisley this afternoon on the back of a point in Warsaw against Shakhtar Donetsk that ought to have been three on Wednesday night with a lingering sense of allowing the Ukrainians off the hook.
“We have to realise that every game is important,” said Haksabanovic. “The way we train is intense and it is always geared towards being at the best level for the next game. And that’s how we need to approach it. One game at a time. If you don’t do that you can be punished.”
The Montenegro internationalist made his first start for the club midweek and is expected to become more influential given the volume of games on the horizon. He has suggested that the Celtic fans are yet to see the best of him given that he has made just fleeting appearances but there would have been much to feel encouraged about given his assist against Shakhtar.
“It’s been a long time since I started a game and it feels good that I have been involved so quickly,” he said “I still need to improve but the more I play the better I will get. “There has been a lot of big games since I arrived and I’ve loved being a part of that. First of all it’s been important for me to get to know everyone on and off the pitch.
“The derby was a great experience – to see all the fans in the stadium and to win the game was a special occasion. And then we played Real Madrid. To come onto the pitch for a small part of that came and show myself was a big thing for me too. I didn't know I was going to start against Shakhtar until a few hours before the game.
“It feels good to know I have the manager’s confidence. I’ve not started a game for three months so 45 minutes was probably right for me. It’s going to take time for me to be at my best but I enjoyed the experience. Left wing is definitely my best position so it was nice to get an opportunity there.
“This is the way I want to play. I want to press high and win the ball back so I think the way the team plays will suit me."
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 here