This has been a relentless season for Celtic, and it seems they just haven’t stopped playing, as another weekend of high drama awaits them.
Premiership football will take a break this weekend, and so will Celtic’s title rivals Hearts and Rangers, because it’s Scottish Cup semi-final action.
As Callum McGregor rightfully alluded to, from Celtic’s perspective, that’s the ‘price of trying to be a successful team’, going deep in every competition and having to play more matches.
That’s what the champions of Scotland have done time and time again under McGregor’s leadership, and it continues against St Mirren on Sunday in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
“I think it’s good to stay in rhythm as much as you can,” said McGregor. “Obviously, the league goes for a break this week.
“But for us, the semi-final, as you said, that’s the price of trying to be a successful team. It’s playing in all the competitions. There is never a rest period.”
How are you lining up?
Celtic paying the ‘price’ of success ahead of another Scottish Cup semi-final
Martin O’Neill will be hoping Celtic can use this game to add some momentum to their Premiership title race.
While Hearts and Rangers take in the sun on their mini break, the Hoops have a chance to beat St Mirren, book another Scottish Cup final ticket, and keep up their hopes of winning the domestic double.
Celtic are all about winning trophies, and nobody knows that better than McGregor, and he offered his thoughts on another clash with St Mirren this weekend, as he told Celtic TV.
“I think it’s good to stay in rhythm as much as you can,” said McGregor. “Obviously, the league goes for a break this week.
“But for us, the semi-final, as you said, that’s the price of trying to be a successful team. It’s playing in all the competitions. There is never a rest period.
“It’s important for the team, again, another chance to improve the way we are playing. Tactically, technically, the understanding of the game, what we are trying to bring against a team we have just played seven or eight days ago.
“We know what St Mirren will bring to the game. We have seen it now. Working on it in training and trying to nullify that.
“As always, when you come to semi-finals, you have to turn up on the day. Perform. You have to do the hard yards, earn the right to play and go through to the tie, as always with semi-finals, the objective is to get to the semi-final.”
McGregor’s impressive Hampden record takes a bit of a hit
Up until the Scottish Cup final last season, McGregor was flawless at the national stadium in finals, both as a senior Celtic player and during his youth days.
The former Scotland international had won 13 out of 13 finals at Hampden, even winning all four of his Youth Cup finals.
But then Aberdeen beat Celtic on penalties to stop the Treble, and St Mirren then caused a bigger upset in the League Cup final this term when Wilfried Nancy was in charge.
Even with those defeats, it’s still quite a remarkable record, and proof of how relentless, driven, determined, and successful the man with the armband is.
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