Callum McGregor heads into another game against St Mirren knowing Celtic didn’t really control the last one. The 1–0 win at Celtic Park was tight, there were spells where Celtic lost their hold on the game and had to sit in rather than dictate it.
As captain and the one who usually sets the pace, McGregor’s role stands out more when matches turn messy. Too often this season, Celtic have been pulled into that kind of game.
It’s become a pattern. When matches open up or get physical, Celtic have struggled to calm things down in midfield. Passes slow down, and the opposition starts to get into it.
St Mirren have already shown they can drag it that way. They won the cup final at Hampden, then caused the same kind of issues again last weekend. They get bodies around the ball and squeeze the middle, pushing Celtic into areas where they’re less dangerous.
McGregor said: (Celtic TV), “When you arrive on these big days it’s trying to come off the pitch with no regret and knowing that you gave everything to get a result.
“So we for sure have to give a better account of ourselves compared to what we did that day.
“But credit to St Mirren, they’ve obviously changed the manager, slightly different identity in the way that they want to play and the way that they get numbers round the ball, it was difficult at times.
“When the game changes like that sometimes it’s hard to then re-grip control in the game but the positive is a lot of big points this season where the team have been resilient and managed to dig out results.
“It’s about getting results.”
That point about control is the one that stands out. It’s not just about effort. It’s about slowing things down and taking the heat out of the game when it starts to drift.
Celtic haven’t always done that. Instead, they’ve had to scrap their way through matches, which doesn’t leave much margin for mistakes.
With Rangers and Hearts not involved this weekend, Celtic go again. Same opponent, different type of challenge.
For McGregor and the midfield, it’s about taking control earlier and not letting it turn into another scrap. There are also questions over whether McGregor will start given recent injury doubts, which only adds another dimension to how Celtic approach the game.
