Liel Abada Is One Of Celtic’s “Good Soldiers” On And Off The Pitch.

I love Liel Abada as a footballer, but he’s also got to be a good person because those are the only type of people Ange brings to Celtic. In the aftermath of the game at the weekend he has spoken to the media.

Everything he said was focussed on the team.

Abada didn’t start at the weekend nor the one before that.

He is in the fight of his life to get into this side, and he knows it, but he isn’t bitching or complaining or demanding more time on the pitch. Instead, he’s doing what good players do.

He’s giving the manager reasons to keep him in the side, by turning it on when the chances come along.

Abada is the classic “good soldier”, the guy who knows that the team comes first, the guy who respects his place in the structure and the chain of command. He knows that footballers sometimes have to be patient, and he’s willing to be.

On top of that, of course, he’s a fantastic player who can make an impact either in the starting line-up or coming on as a sub. The thing is, he’s willing to wait to make that impact, in part I think because he realises he is good enough to do it.

With the size of our squad, we’re going to need good soldiers, guys who realise that they might spend spells out of the team and who will have to be patient.

Guys like Abada are a great example to the rest, because he knows he’s good enough to play every week but still recognises that the manager runs the show and that his chances will come.

We need all the good soldiers we can get. Abada is one of my favourite footballers at Celtic.

Little by little it’s becoming clear that he’s just as impressive off the pitch.