Callum McGregor insists the title charge from Pittodrie has put Celtic on red alert.
The Hoops had to dig deep at Kilmarnock on Sunday to keep pace with the Dons after Jimmy Thelin’s men roared back from their Hampden mauling with an impressive Premiership win against Dundee. Celts may have dished out a National Stadium stuffing but McGregor is not ignoring the threat from the Granite City with the teams locked at the top – nine points ahead of Rangers.
The Parkhead skipper insisted his side are in superb shape as they pause for the international break but he is not banking on pulling away. And McGregor admitted the red peril is keeping Celtic’s eye on the ball. He said: “Yeah, well I think we're always there, whether it's Aberdeen, Rangers, we're always tight at this point in the season.
“We know what we're doing, we've been over the course many, many times, we know it's about us, and how we prepare, and how we train, and then when the game comes around, it's an opportunity to show what we've been doing all week. That just all builds and culminates come the end of the season.
“So, we feel good where we are, there are teams challenging, and that's great, it just keeps us ultra sharp and focused.”
Celtic – and Aberdeen – have banked an impressive 31 points out of 33 to set the Premiership pace. But McGregor is gearing up for the long haul with a gruelling schedule on the horizon after the international pause. He said: “I think the results will tell you where we are ultimately. It’s been a really positive start, obviously drawing one game, probably should have won that as well to be honest, but a strong start.
“But we're only one third of the way there, so there's two thirds to go, and a lot of work to be done, so we're happy with where we are at the minute, but we know that we can always get better.
“There's a long, long way to go, a lot of football to be played, so we've been over the course before, we know what's required.”
Celts face a hectic period over the winter with boss Brendan Rodgers warning his men to expect an ‘ultramarathon’. The schedule holds no fear for McGregor – who is among the top men in the Champions League for miles covered on the pitch and spends his down time pounding the pavements.
He said: “Well that's it, I've always been not bad at that one! No, listen, it's what it is, it’s what football is these days, it's a running game, you've got to look after yourself, and the boys are in a really good place.
“So, we just try and stay on that as much as we can. You look at the games, obviously November, December, January as well, I think there's nine or ten games in January alone, so you've got to be ready, you've got to be ready to play, the team, the squad, everyone, this little period is so important for us.”
Rodgers rested Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kyogo at Rugby Park and McGregor insisted every Celtic player will all need to play a part in the scrap through the winter months.
He said: “I think the gaffer's built a really strong squad here. He’s got options, and obviously the guys that are in the team and they do well, they want to stay in, and the guys that are on the side, they're desperate to get in and help the boys as well.
“I've always spoken about it, competition for places. It's a strong squad, it's exactly what you need, especially at this point in the season, and obviously when we come back from the international break, we'll need every single player.”
