Celtic captain Callum McGregor felt their performance was as smooth as this season despite being held back by a goalless draw from Hibernian.
Hoop met for the fourth time in the campaign, scoreless as he fell two points behind Heart at the top of the Scottish Premiership. But McGregor was encouraged by many of the displays.
Celtic hit the bar twice via Keleci Iheanacho and Marcelo Saracchi, putting up 24 effort on goal. There are elements of Brendan Rogers’ experiments, starting from the right wing, Iheanacho is Iheanacho from the middle, and McGregor feels there is much to be built ahead of the Europa League collision on Thursday before the clash with Braga at Parkhead.
“I’m sure if I play that way on Thursday night, I’ll win the game,” the midfielder said.
“We were looking for rhythms, we were looking for that rhythm, and I think it was probably just as good as it meant that football. We created a lot of opportunities.
“Like I said, if the team goes through the ranks and goes on that pitch, then if they can play that way on Thursday night, we are sure we have a good chance to win.
“It was probably as smooth as us, and it was a way to get through the pitch, inflated some really good opportunities.
“That type of performance comes the goal. It starts to drip in our favor.”
McGregor responds to Celtic fans’ protests
The first 12 minutes were calm as Celtic fans silently protested against the board about the transfer deal.
The campaign is scheduled to escalate Thursday, with Celtic fans planning a 29-minute silence marking the number of days that have passed since an open letter from the supporters group sought responses from the club. But McGregor said:
“To be honest, when the game starts, players don’t notice much. You’re thinking about the game and where you should be and all of this.
“Obviously after that, you hear a bit and I think so. I think the atmosphere is there right now. The team’s job is to try out the crowd as quickly as possible. So, I hope that if you start the game well, everything will come back to life again.
“Now, it’s on the team that we’re creating performances that make everyone happy, so that’s not the same.”
The Hibs continued their undefeated start to the Premiership season, recording their first clean sheet in the league. David Gray’s side faces the Hart team, who scored 18 points with 18 points to help him win a 3-0 victory over Falkirk.
Gray said: “What I look forward to over the weekend is a great game.
“As a HIBS player, I’ve always felt this is the game you want to play.
“It’s really prepared for something good. We’re undefeated in the league and they’re at the top of the league, and it comes with that, so they’re clearly playing well and looking forward to these games.
