Yesterday was wonderful in oh so many ways. The sun was shining, the football was glorious, the team was magnificent, the fans were incredible and the result was spectacular. It was beautiful. It’s our second Beautiful Sunday.
In the aftermath, I was delighted to hear that Odsonne Edouard is now deep in his love affair with the club. I badly want this guy signed on a long-term deal. He is a superb footballer, and yesterday he gave a masterclass in how to pull a defence to bits.
Every player rose to that occasion.
The widely derided Boyata was a rock at the heart of defence; in recent weeks he’s looked a far better player because he has chucked trying to do the complicated stuff and keeps it simple. He leathers it up the park, he puts it out when the pressure is on, he dominates in the air and even his tackling was timed to perfection.
Is he good enough to hold down a place next season? Does he deserve a new deal? One game does not make a player, but he has improved lately and in part because he has a settled partner next to him. And what a partner. Ajer was excellent and gets better with every match. He is going to be a superstar, and I hope he’s at the heart of this team for years.
I am going to tell you who my favourite Celtic player is at the moment; Olivier Ntcham. He strolls through these games. He plays fantastic football. He gets forward, he works hard to cover passes from the opposition. He is a grafter, but he has amazing craft as well. He is very close to being the complete midfielder, and he will be here for a long time.
McGregor was wonderful. I love this kid under Brendan, he looks like a totally different player. The bet of the day – which I foolishly failed to put on – was that he and Rogic would both score. Rogic himself had another stormer and I hope that a deal can get done to keep him for another few years. He has everything. Forrest had one of his finest games, and has now scored the ubiquitous Glasgow derby goal. He will score many more.
Brendan has made such wonderful changes to this club; every player was buzzing. The whole operation at Parkhead is like a well-oiled machine now. We are living in glorious days here, the best of our whole lives. Our club is operating at the very top of its game, and it’s improving all the time. The signs are all positive and as good as things are right now, if we keep doing what we’re doing then they are only going to get better.
It’s a nice thought that, isn’t it?
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