Celtic have made a rampant start to the Scottish Premiership campaign and have won their fair share of admirers over the past few weeks, Aiden McGeady included.
Six league games have passed, with 20 goals scored and zero conceded. The Bhoys extended their winning run to nine matches across all competitions and look difficult for anyone to stop on current form.
Admittedly, Celtic face a major step up in quality when they travel to face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening in the Champions League.
Nevertheless, rarely has the mood music been so positive heading into a clash against one of Europe’s heavyweights. Brendan Rodgers has taken time to mould together his distinctive brand of entertaining front-foot football.
It hasn’t always seemed as straightforward as the present; the Bhoys had to overcome adversity during periods of last season to build their unshakable level of confidence. Aiden McGeady has highlighted why he thinks there has been such a shift in performance levels.
Aiden McGeady highlights key Celtic changes this term
On the Scottish Football Podcast, McGeady referenced Celtic’s ‘fantastic’ hunger in and out of possession as being in stark contrast to last season, where they weren’t always as fluid or intense.
He stated: “Yeah, I think you’re running out of superlatives for Celtic at the moment. I just think they’re playing with such confidence and the additions that they made just before the end of the transfer window have only strengthened their squad.
“Having a fantastic result in Europe to kick off that Champions League campaign where this season, everything has been levelled at Brendan Rodgers and his team to actually translate that domestic form into Europe.
“But just now in the league, I think Celtic have nothing to worry about. I mean, obviously that can change, but Celtic are just looking so strong.
“They’re playing with such pace, passing forward quickly. I mean, it’s so different from last season when there was a lot, not complaints, but there was things being levelled at the team about the pace of the play and how slow the build up was.
“Just now, we’re not seeing that at all. It’s very, very quick. When they lose the ball, they’re very, very quick to win the ball back with the forward players that they’ve got and when they’re playing in possession, they’re just going to sweep everyone away at the minute.”
Can Celtic move the dial in the Champions League this term?
Celtic will always be a strong force domestically, but their quest for progression in the Champions League is something long-desired by the support.
On matchday one in the league phase, the Bhoys thumped Slovan Bratislava to record a first-ever opening night victory in Europe’s premier competition.
Despite this, there is a wider acknowledgement that points against superior outfits must be claimed to secure a place in the knockout playoff phase. Some stat trackers claim nine points gives Celtic a 69% chance of Champions League progression among other clubs.
With Dortmund to come at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday evening, Rodgers will find out more about where his side stand in the context of their European aspirations.
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