Carl Starfelt is back in possession of the shirt .But the Celtic ace is adamant he can’t afford to think for a single second that he’s guaranteed to keep it.
Starfelt has made a triumphant return from a lengthy lay-off to give boss Ange Postecoglou and his team-mates a massive boost. The Swede scored on his comeback against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park after missing over two months with a serious hamstring issue sustained on international duty in June. Starfelt formed a formidable partnership with Cameron Carter-Vickers last season which was the rock on which Celtic ’s title win was built.
The 27-year-old got his opportunity with new signing Moritz Jenz having to go off during the second period with an injury of his own. Naturally, Starfelt’s return from the treatment room would have most observers believing that the combination with Carter-Vickers is now back to stay. However, the former Rubin Kazan stopper insists it’s not that simple.
As Stephen Welsh and Jenz both made impressive appearances in the opening games with the Scandinavian not yet ready to be involved in the first-team action, the manager has serious competition for the coveted place alongside the American international Starfelt knows he’s in a fight for the starting spot and said: “I think the competition pushes all the players.
“It’s not only the centre-back position. I feel we have competition now in almost every position. It’s about the small details. You also need to show every week in training that you want to play. It pushes everyone.
“We have one game a week just now, but soon it will become two games a week for a period of months. We will need a big squad. Like I said, there is very tough competition. There are really good options in defence. Welsh, Jenz and Cameron have all done very well when they have played.
“So I don’t think that anyone knows they are going to play every game. That’s how it should be. We push each other.”
Starfelt is, of course, just happy to be back in the fold and available. Looking to build on his impressive first campaign in Glasgow, it was a hammer blow to be stuck on the sidelines at the beginning of pre-season as his colleagues got down to business.
Postecoglou poured praise onto him for his attitude and professionalism during the days of rehabilitation and his desire to get back to full pelt when returning to the training scene. Asked if the summer was a tough time, Starfelt said: “Absolutely. Obviously it’s always tough to be out and not be able to play.
“I’ve just been working very hard to get back. I felt like I was really ready to play when I came on and it was really nice to be back on the pitch. I’ve been training now for two weeks or something like that. So I felt ready to go and get back involved.”
Happy enough to even be on the park, his day in Ayrshire just got sweeter when managing to bag the fourth goal of his team’s 5-0 win. Postecoglou’s attacking talents such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis contributed with brilliantly made and executed goals at Rugby Park.
But the boss singled out Starfelt’s scruffy finish at the far post from a set piece as the most significant of the lot and with good reason. The Swede was one of very few men not to score during last season’s successes and the effort against Killie was his first-ever in a Celtic shirt.
Starfelt laughed his own exuberance after breaking his duck on his 50th club appearance as he smiled: “It was a very funny moment. You saw my celebration. I enjoyed it a lot even though it was a goal to make it 4-0.
“Maybe that wasn’t a normal 4-0 celebration! But it was my first goal for the club, so it means something extra to me. It was great to have all the players celebrate with me. We have been speaking about it a little bit in the locker room, so it was nice to see that all the other players also got excited.
“Obviously, it was nice for me to get my first minutes back after the injury and the goal was also important. The supporters, as always, were absolutely amazing. It was a nice moment. I will remember that one.”
Starfelt also laughed when asked to name the individual who had teased his most over his goal drought as he added: “All of them, maybe! No, it hasn’t been so much about teasing.
“For me, it was just more of a release. I’ve had opportunities before that haven’t gone in, so it was nice to see the ball go in the net this time. It wasn’t the most beautiful goal but it still counts.”
On a serious note, Starfelt’s strike was another example of a growing weapon in Postecoglou’s armoury. Noted for their free-flowing style, it’s now four goals out of 10 from set plays with Welsh and Jenz also scoring in the opening trio of games from dead-ball situations.
Starfelt said: “It’s important. It’s not a huge deal who scores, but if you can get some extra goals from set-pieces or other situations, it’s a bonus. Last year, we actually scored a lot from set-pieces and this year we have scored from set-pieces every game. Now we have to continue with that.”
