IT was a quiet Saturday afternoon for Carl Starfelt and his defensive teammates as Celtic dominated Aberdeen to land three crucial Scottish Premiership points at Pittodrie.
Ange Postecoglou’s side enjoyed over 80 per cent possession during the contest and registered 33 shots over the course of the 90 minutes. The Scottish champions also completed 644 more passes than their opposition, in what was as one-sided a contest as you will get.
Jim Goodwin’s Aberdeen have been heavily criticised for their approach to the game with many suggesting they should have opted for a more attacking approach given they were at home and placed third in the Premiership table.
But for Starfelt and his fellow squad members, the shape came as no surprise, given they are very much used to facing a low defensive block on a weekly basis.
He explained: “In one way it was maybe a quiet game. But in another way there were a lot of duals. It was just that most of them were in their half of the pitch.
“We were given space to move the ball forward really quickly. But I feel we still had to do a job defensively. So I wouldn’t say it was easier than any other game.
“We had to keep them pinned in and keep our focus so they didn’t have any easy ways out. We did that really well and kept our concentration throughout the game.
“To be fair to Aberdeen, I think every team can play how they like. I don’t read too much into it. It is just how we react to facing different tactics and different oppositions and it is not the first time we have faced a team who maybe puts a defensive team out against us. But I felt like we handled it well and we kept our composure so I was happy.”
Despite Celtic’s dominance, it took them until the 87th minute to find the all-important breakthrough and winner to ensure the gap at the top of the table remained at nine points.
The winning goal came via the way of captain Callum McGregor who marked his return from injury in spectacular fashion with a low-driven strike late on.
Starfelt continued: “It is a big win of course. Also, after a break it is always good to get a good result in the first game back and start to get some momentum. It was a big win and we are almost getting used to scoring late winners now so it is good.
“It was a really good goal and an important moment for Callum and for the team. It was fun to see and good that he got the goal as well since he has been out and working hard to get back.
“I wouldn’t say we are relying on scoring late goals. We usually try to go at it from the first minute. Sometimes you get the goals in the first minute and sometimes in the last but I look at it as a strength that we are able to come up with late goals.
“We just need to keep playing our game all the time no matter the result and make sure we are not changing out game plan late in the game. You keep your composure and have the belief that you can score.
“The team is clear on how we play. We just know this is how we want to play and this is how we want to win and no matter what minute it is we will keep doing it.”
Since returning from the World Cup break some new faces have arrived at Parkhead in the shape of Canadian international full-back Alistair Johnston and central defensive Japanese youngster Yuki Kobayashi.
Both have impressed Starfelt so far and he is welcoming the competition for places in Postecoglou’s backline.
He said: “You welcome it. At a club like Celtic you should have competition. We always push to get better and it’s good to bring in new players as it pushes everyone to improve.
“It makes you work even harder in training because you can never relax. The right mentality is to look at these things positively.
“Johnston has done well from what I have seen in training. He looks a good player and he’s also a really good guy as well, which is important. He’s very sociable and he brings a good energy to the squad.”
Starfelt has looked sharp since returning from a knee injury that ruled him out for the longest period of his career to date and the Swedish defender believes he is adding some much-needed match sharpness with every minute he plays.
“I am feeling very good physically,” he added. “That’s a big positive for me because I was out for quite a long time.
“The break was good for me too from a physical standpoint. I could get some good training in and get back to match fitness. So I am feeling good in the body.
“It’s the longest time I’ve been out injured, almost five months, so it’s been great to come back. Before the break I still hadn’t done too much training. But I have really got back in shape.”
