The semi-finals of the Viaplay Cup might well have taken centre stage yesterday afternoon for Celtic but when Ange Postecoglou’s side return to league action on Wednesday evening, they will do so with a score to settle in more ways than one.
A home fixture against St Mirren – the only team to inflict a league defeat on the cinch Premiership champions this term – awaits and while the Glasgow giants will be wary of the threat posed by the Buddies, the opportunity to dish out a little revenge is one that the players will be relishing.
Joe Hart accepts that on the day back in September, St Mirren were good value for the three points and deserved winners in Paisley. The former England internationalist admits that he and his team-mates were a little off the pace that afternoon but he insists that the defeat did not serve as a wake-up call. The loss hurt, sure, but the Celtic No.1 was always certain the team’s performance was little more than an off-day.
“They beat us fair and square in the last game,” Hart said. “A lot has happened since then and we've taken things one game at a time. Like when we played them previously, we'll look to attack and win the game.
“We didn't get too low after the last game but we didn't deserve to get too low. We did okay in the game. We just didn't do enough to win it and St Mirren did. We were maybe slightly off that day and they took advantage and beat us.
“It's not a problem. It only becomes a problem in the following games if the same pattern emerges - but it didn't.
“We don't need to lose a game to remind us of what we need to do. That's the beauty of the way we work as a group - we have daily reminders. We remind each other in the way we play and the way we train.
“It requires flippin' hard work. We never think we should just win games regardless of anything. But we are a confident squad and we train the way we play.”
Postecoglou has been busy tinkering both with his squad and his starting line-up since that defeat back in September. January arrivals in the shape of Yuki Kobayashi, Alistair Johnston and Tomoki Iwata have been recruited to bolster Celtic’s title tilt, while the defence has also changed significantly in the intervening months.
Anthony Ralston, Stephen Welsh, Moritz Jenz and Greg Taylor made up the back four that day; last week’s 2-0 win over Kilmarnock featured a defence comprised of Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Carl Starfelt and Alexandro Bernabei.
Hart feels confident that whatever form the defence takes on Wednesday night, they will have enough quality to keep St Mirren at bay as he praised his manager’s nous and alacrity in the transfer market.
“It doesn't matter who plays in the team - whether it's Tony, Jura [Josip Juranovic] or Ally at right-back,” said the 35-year-old. “We feel confident as a team that we have 11 starting and five off the bench who have enough to put our way of playing onto the pitch.
“Ally is a confident player. You have to give great credit to the recruitment at Celtic. They have picked a player who was ready to come into our system and our way of playing. He's embraced it.
“He had a nice two or three weeks with us when there wasn't the pressure or stress of worrying whether he'd be in the team or the squad. It was the same with Yuki. They arrived early but weren't eligible until the start of this month.
“I've known players who signed on January 1 and were asked to play on January 2. It was a hard start for Ally [making his debut against Rangers] but he's done well and he's a bubbly, confident guy.”
There will be the usual pre-match scouting missions and discussions with the manager about how to approach Wednesday’s encounter, and Postecoglou and his coaching staff will be poring over the footage from the defeat back in September to ensure that history does not repeat itself.
Hart is happy to reminisce about that loss in order to see what lessons can be learned but the Celtic No.1 insists that everyone at the club is more interested in what the future holds than dwelling on the past.
“Football moves really quickly and complacency can't be allowed to creep in,” Hart observed. “That's what I've loved about this football club over the last 18 months. We are all kept on our toes because we know things can change quickly.
“There was that little sting the year before I came here [when Rangers won the title]. The attitude is to analyse things and move forward, not back. As much as something has happened, it's happened and we move on.
“If we spend time looking at things, even good things, you can get lost down a wormhole of things that happened in the past. We want more in the future. It's how I love to play the game and also how I live my life.
“I like being around like-minded people who push that. And there's nothing better than when the main man [Postecoglou] - and everyone hangs on his every word - gives that same message.
“If you got into an argument for not doing that, you'd do well to win it!”
