Luke McCowan believes Celtic must keep the focus on themselves rather than worrying about Hearts’ lead at the top of the Premiership.
McCowan made it clear that watching other results won’t help Celtic get back to their best. He praised Hearts’ strong start but said the Hoops need to concentrate on their own game, playing with the intensity and attacking threat that makes them so difficult to face. The emphasis, he said, has to be on performance and mentality rather than hoping for slip-ups elsewhere.
The former Dundee man pointed to recent wins, including the semi-final success, as signs that things are beginning to click again. He highlighted the importance of building confidence from those results and keeping the standards high week after week.
Since joining last summer, McCowan has impressed with his work rate and honesty. His comments show a player who understands the demands of Celtic and the expectations that come with pulling on the shirt. He knows the team’s progress depends on what happens within their own dressing room.
He said: (The Scotsman), “The boys know that we’ve probably not started the season as well as what we wanted.
“They [Hearts] can’t be [in our thought process]. We can’t get into games hoping that they slip up. We just need to go into games where the main focus is us playing well, scoring goals, being the kind of threat we can be, making teams fear coming here. We need to get back into that mantra.
“The team’s in an all right place, winning the semi-final, a couple of games in the league we’ve won. The attitude comes from us, the mentality comes from us, so we just need to keep pushing that. I’m sure if we do, we’ll keep charging on and hopefully get more positive results.”
McCowan’s message is exactly what Celtic need right now. There’s no panic, just a push for focus and hard work. The season’s still early, and with plenty of games left, they’ve got time to close the gap if they get things right.
He’s spot on about concentrating on their own form instead of hoping others slip up. When Celtic hit top speed and play with confidence, they’re a different side, that’s the level McCowan wants them to reach every week.
It’s as much about attitude as it is about tactics. Celtic’s best football has always come from belief, intensity and drive, and McCowan looks determined to help bring that edge back.
If they can rediscover that spark, the results will follow naturally. For McCowan, it’s simple, get back to playing the Celtic way and everything else will fall into place.
