Callum McGregor has been discussing the ‘really intense’ training at Lennoxtown over the last week as Celtic prepare for the Scottish Premiership restart.
The Bhoys haven’t played a match since Boxing Day but take on Hibernian this Monday night in front of a packed Celtic Park.
With a number of new signings joining the group as well as notable returns from long-term injury, it’s a far different squad to the one that took on St Johnstone last month.
It’s also been a great opportunity for Celtic to work on stuff other than rest and recovery, with the busy match schedule taking a back seat.
McGregor told Celtic TV: “We’ve been back in just over a week now. Training’s been great, it’s been really intense. We’ve managed to get really good work into boys getting up to speed, coming back from injury. The new guys coming in, we’ve been letting them see the way we work and the intensity we train and play at. It’s been really good.
“We’ve been working on a little bit of tactical stuff, some fitness stuff. It’s good to get a mini pre-season and get a hit on your legs. Then we can just sort of taper in terms of the detail in the way we train and play.
“Then you get the competitive aspect in terms of 1v1s, 2v2s and 5v5s. You get the competitive edge going again. Training has been really strong, everyone looks good.”
Ultimately we’ll see what kind of shape Celtic are in shortly when they take to the pitch against Hibs. But it all sounds very promising.
Hopefully, the Bhoys can address some of the glaring issues in the time prior to the winter break, most notably chance creation against low blocks and wasteful finishing even when in good positions.
If we can become a more complete team in those areas, we’re well on our way to good things this season.
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