Celtic are gearing up to begin their title defence this weekend when Kilmarnock come to town in their opening Scottish Premiership fixture this Sunday.
Flag Day is always a special occasion at Parkhead, with the unfurling of the flag a cause for celebrating past achievements before trying to repeat the feat this time around.
Cameron Carter-Vickers is set to be a key man for Celtic once again this term, and he has opened up about how he has been working on the areas he struggled ‘physically’ in 2023/24 to try and ensure he avoids injury concerns once the new campaign starts.
Charged with being a leader on the pitch and in the dressing room, the United States international is acutely aware of the expectation bestowed on himself and his teammates to deliver results every week.
Nevertheless, you need multiple players as part of a core to carry that out, and Carter-Vickers has now referenced two other Celtic individuals who make themselves heard.
Celtic’s ‘vocal’ leaders include Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor
Speaking to The Daily Record, Carter-Vickers has revealed Greg Taylor and Alistair Johnston are two big players in the dressing room atmosphere at Parkhead.
Alongside this, the Southend-born man paid tribute to the collective effort his side make to shoulder responsibility on and off the field.
He stated: “I think there’s a few. The ones you name, Greg’s also fairly vocal. Ali Johnston, I’d class as a bit of a leader as well. The team is so close that anyone can really have an opinion and if it’s a good one everyone will listen and accept it.
“I don’t know if it’s a case of real big leaders. It’s just a case of a collaborative effort to go in the right direction and pull in the right direction.”
Celtic and the importance of Taylor and Johnston
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone; Taylor and Johnston are both prominent players for Celtic and played a starring role in the double-winning story of success last season.
In the case of the former, it may be worth preserving his influence. Taylor is into the last year of his contract at Parkhead, and Brendan Rodgers has signalled he would like to extend his terms. He is also the only senior left-back on the books, so it is important he is tied down.
Johnston arrives back into Celtic contention off the back of a magnificent achievement with Canada, where he helped them reach the Copa America semi-finals.
Going toe-to-toe with some of the best footballers the continent had to offer, the 25-year-old did his county proud and will hope to use his experiences productively in the new campaign.
The pair are likely to be of significant importance across 2024/25, leading the charge as Celtic strive to bring further silverware back to Parkhead.
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