Celtic face Motherwell tomorrow after a frustrating draw against Dundee United that was an encounter to forget from the Bhoys’ perspective.
Despite dominance in possession, Celtic struggled to create many clearcut opportunities at Tannadice and left with a point to their name, extending their advantage at the summit to nine points.
Nevertheless, their unbeaten Scottish Premiership start remains intact despite injuries and illness getting in the way of Brendan Rodgers fielding a full-strength line-up.
Looking ahead, Motherwell and St Johnstone are still to come before the end of 2024 at Parkhead, offering six more precious points ahead of the Glasgow Derby next Thursday.
Sharing his thoughts on last weekend’s affair, Callum McGregor has outlined why Celtic have the bit between their teeth to rectify their draw in the City of Discovery.
Callum McGregor on Celtic’s draw at Tannadice
Speaking after Celtic’s draw with Dundee United, McGregor has urged his side to harness the ‘hurt’ they experienced at Tannadice when they face Motherwell on Boxing Day.
He stated [BBC Sport]: “The lead we have has been a product of how good we’ve been this season. But we don’t want to have too many of these days where you start to chase your tail a little bit. We understand what the problem was and we dust ourselves down and move on from it.
“We can get back on the horse quickly on Boxing Day and try to get three points, and then it just rolls on again. The success that we’ve had over a long period of time now means every dropped point feels like a defeat, it feels like the end of the world.
“It’s good for the players to see that and understand how it feels, because we’re a team that’s used to winning all the time. Sometimes it’s okay to be disappointed and feel hurt and try to use that momentum in the coming games.
“The boys speak about it all the time. As soon as you drop points it feels like you’ve lost. It’s a weird feeling, the place is quiet and it doesn’t have its usual feel. You try and limit the amount of times throughout the season that you feel like that.”
Celtic keen to get back to winning ways against Motherwell
Motherwell are on a three-match unbeaten run and have flown under the radar this season, but Celtic should have enough to see them off on home territory.
Hopefully, the Bhoys can send supporters home happy on Boxing Day after the excitement of Christmas, prolonging the feelgood factor as 2024 comes to a close.
Last weekend’s draw may have bene a frustrating one. The onus is on Rodgers and company to now show it was merely a minor bump in the road.
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