Celtic enjoyed a productive tour of the United States this summer, setting the tone for their blistering start to the season under Brendan Rodgers.
The Bhoys have claimed three league victories against Kilmarnock, Hibernian and St Mirren, scoring nine times and still being yet to concede in the Scottish Premiership.
Cup action has also proved favourable for Celtic, with a 3-1 triumph over Hibernian earlier this month booking their place in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final against Falkirk.
Despite supporters’ grumblings about the lack of arrivals this window, Rodgers has managed to get the best out of the group he works with at Lennoxtown on the pitch.
Even with Matt O’Riley’s departure, Celtic barely broke a sweat in Paisley last Sunday as they raced towards a comfortable triumph. Stiliyan Petrov has now offered some unique insight that might explain why the Bhoys have looked so competent over the last few weeks.
Stiliyan Petrov’s unique Celtic pre-season insight
Speaking on The Scottish Football Social Club, Petrov has attributed Celtic’s early season form to the work carried out by Rodgers and his coaching staff in pre-season, something he had the opportunity to witness first-hand over in the United States.
He explained: “I had the opportunity to travel with Celtic at their pre-season in America. I’ll tell you what, guys: I’m really surprised at where the team is in terms of match fitness, sharpness, and preparation.
“How much they pay attention to detail in their individual development and their roles, what is required for them to do at certain times in the game, so now you can see that everything is paying off from the pre-season, from the preparation, and they’re really looking like a powerful and well-drilled team.”
Later, he added: “I was really surprised with the amount of details and the amount of attention that Brendan Rodgers and his staff pay to every single detail of the game. There were hundreds of staff there. At one point, I was looking and thinking ‘who are all these people!’, where are they coming from? What are they doing?
“I’ll tell you what: there is a non-stop process from the morning to the training, after the training, preparation for the next day, the games, it’s about trusting the people you have beside you to give you the relevant information about the players, the players’ condition, details of what they have to improve and really to manage that and to specify what exactly you need and how to use it.”
Celtic will hope to build on early foundations
Undoubtedly, Celtic have been an impressive force in their opening four matches of the season. However, they will be aware that things are about to get much more congested on the other side of the international break.
Before that, there’s the small matter of facing Rangers for the first time this season. The Bhoys will be deemed as favourites by many in the Glasgow Derby, but these matches always come with an element of unpredictability, so you have to be on your guard.
Then, it will be a case of juggling domestic football and their endeavours in the Champions League. European hangovers can’t be tolerated in the hunt for a title, meaning added squad depth is needed before the deadline to ensure the group is adequately stocked.
Hopefully, the Bhoys can finalise some late arrivals and round off the week by claiming three points on derby day; that would be an ideal scenario for all of us!
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