David Turnbull reckons Celtic have just got stronger through their gruelling glut of games.
And, rather than feeling the energy drain from their limbs, the playmaker says the squad have been energised as they flawlessly drive through their relentless schedule. Ange Postecoglou ’s team have won all eight of their league and cup games since the last international break in September.
Tomorrow’s home encounter against Ross County completes a brutal 13 games in 43 games spell for a unit who have also had Champions League commitments through their run. It’s a period on the home front which was always going to test mentally and physically, yet the league leaders have flown through it. As opposed to being out of their feet with just 90 minutes to go before the World Cup shutdown, Celtic have been surging.
Turnbull says fatigue is no factor. In fact, he sees it the opposite way with the raft of fixtures rocketing all of the the players up to top speed due to their additional opportunities. Celtic are digging deep when necessary to keep chalking up the triumphs and he said: “I don’t think many of the boys are tired to be honest.
“When you are playing these games thick and fast you feel more fit. The more games that come, the fitter you get. So boys were thriving off it and getting fitter every game. It’s been good for everybody.
“I’d say we just take it each game at a time. We would take the weekend game and then during the week when we had a game it’s completely different. It’s about focusing on different parts of our game against different teams. It was tough to take in some of the midweek [Champions League] games. We performed well I think, but going into the weekend, we took it game by game and didn’t let it affect us.
“It’s about not getting too down and continuing our run." Like everyone in the squad, Turnbull has had his part to play through a sequence where Postecoglou has managed resources with stealth. Six more changes to start the midweek win over Motherwell made it 56 in the last dozen games with the boss insisting the workload had to be spread across the entire group.
Turnbull said: “Competition is always good for everybody and it’s about performing when you get your chance. If you’re coming on in games or starting games, it’s about impacting on them and all the boys are doing that at the moment. It’s completely different to last year. There were games thick and fast and we didn’t have as many bodies. Since January and the summer, we’ve strengthened massively and it’s good for rotation for boys and, if someone is tired, you can give them a rest.”
Celtic have also displayed differing ways to win during their recent run. At times, they have been swashbuckling, such as in the 6-1 home defeat of Hibs.
In other moments, it’s been substance over style and that was the case at Fir Park with the boss admitting his team had to grind out the victory. Turnbull said: “I don’t think it was our best performance of the season or in the past few games, but we stayed in it, never let the result get away from us and it’s a positive win in the end.
“Teams are going to throw everything at us, so it’s about grinding out results when you are not playing well.
“That’s what has to happen if we aren’t dominating games like on Wednesday night. That’s the sign of a good team I think, and we are doing well at the moment. It’s just about continuing. I don’t think you can go through a full season without teams testing you and challenging you.
“You get a new challenge every week and we knew what we were going to face [from Motherwell] after playing them a few weeks ago. They put up a great fight, and as the manager said, it is about grinding through these games and getting a positive result.”
Turnbull’s contribution at his old home ground was typical of the way Postecoglou has worked it in the past six weeks.
Having started on the subs bench, the midfielder was fresh and ready when entered the fray to play his crucial role in the extension of the winning run. Turnbull’s brilliant pass over the top sent Daizen Maeda away to score the team’s second goal, which turned out to be the clincher.
Motherwell were unhappy at how the ball ended up in Turnbull’s possession, but he took advantage in devastating fashion. He said: “It was not too bad, I don’t really know what happened with the throw-in, and then the ball fell at my feet. There were runners on either side, so it was about picking the right one. Thankfully I did that and it was a great finish from Daizen.”
Once tomorrow’s game is over, Maeda will go to the World Cup Finals along with club-mates Cameron Carter Vickers, Josip Juranovic and Aaron Mooy. Those Parkhead stars who did not qualify or were not chosen for Qatar will be heading to Australia for a tour Down Under with Celtic.
Turnbull is looking forward to it and said: “It’s a big thing for the club. It’s been in the pipeline for a few months now and I’m sure everybody is looking forward to it. It will be a good trip.”
