Exciting St Johnstone talent Ali McCann has labeled Celtic the “best team in the country” after losing out to them in the Scottish Cup.
McCann played against Rangers a week before taking on the Hoops and battled to a 2-2 draw. However, those same battling qualities weren’t enough to get a thing off Neil Lennon’s side in the quarter-finals of the cup.
Ryan Christie’s wicked free-kick deceived goalkeeper Zander Clark and found its way into the back of the net at McDiarmid Park. St Johnstone gave it their all for long spells, with McCann playing the full 90 minutes to make it 33 first-team appearances this season (Transfermarkt).
He spoke to the Courier this week about the defeat, and couldn’t help but hide how gutted he was at the result.
“Throughout the whole game we matched them up. At the time they scored, I felt we were dominating. It’s gutting to lose a goal in that manner, especially considering how well we did against the best team in the country.
“It is just gutting to lose in that fashion. We had chances to go ahead in the game and then even had chances afterwards to equalise. It was unfortunate but I thought we were brilliant throughout.
“We were picking up second balls, moving it well and had them on the ropes for a wee while. We never managed to capitalise with a clear-cut chance and they score a poor goal from our perspective.”
McCann’s summary is flawed but he impressed nevertheless
There are a couple of things to take exception with here.
Firstly this idea that St Johnstone were “dominating” us is pretty baseless. There’s a difference between a game being tight and a team being dominated. Celtic had some shaky moments, but due to the fact we rarely allow teams to stay in games so late, it’s easy for outside parties to say we were seriously on the ropes.
It’s also difficult to pinpoint the chances St Johnstone apparently had to equalise. After Christie’s goal with nine minutes to play, St Johnstone didn’t threaten whatsoever. Fraser Forster didn’t have a save to make, and Celtic held onto the ball with more efficiency. It’s also hard to remember the “clear-cut” chance Saints missed.
However, McCann is aware enough to know that Celtic showed they’re the best team in Scotland yet again here. Even if our technique doesn’t win the game, our character more often than not does.
As for the young St Johnstone midfielder – he certainly impressed. It’s his first season getting regular top-flight football. Last year he was on loan with Stranraer, and you can tell he’s taken a lot from it. There was one moment on Sunday when he threaded a fine through ball that Stevie May nearly got on the end of, but Forster was alert to clear.
He can certainly be pleased with his own display, but in the end there was nothing he could do to stop this Celtic juggernaut from rolling on.
What do you make of Ali McCann’s assessment of the game? Did St Johnstone “dominate” us? Where were all of the chances they had? Are Celtic not entitled to a close game domestically every now and again? Let us know your thoughts in the discussion forum below.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
