Stuart Kettlewell reckons the current Celtic crop are good enough to play in a European Final.
The Motherwell boss is a huge fan of Scottish football and he reckons Ange Postecoglou's runaway Premiership leaders are at the same level as Martin O'Neill's 2003 UEFA Cup side and the Rangers sides of the past. The Scottish champions boast a 12 point lead at the top of the Premiership table with just six games of the season to play.
The table toppers have smashed through the 100-goal barrier in the league and are on course to smash that total in the points column. They've suffered just one defeat and drawn one game out of 32 - and that makes the task at hand for the Fir Park gaffer even more difficult this weekend as he looks to mastermind a shock result against the league leaders at Parkhead.
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But ahead of the clash he has delivered the ultimate compliment to Postecoglou and his Celtic troops by putting them in the same league as some of the great teams of the past. He said: "I think this is one of the best sides the Scottish Premiership has seen for several years.
“I’m a massive Scottish football fan, I have been my entire life, and I think you would pitch this team up there with many other excellent sides. We look at Celtic and Rangers sides that have got to European finals, and I would pitch this side right up there with those.
“It’s one thing to be a good side but it’s another to continually do that throughout 90 minutes, and the full course of a season and cup competitions as well.
“That then becomes a huge challenge for the teams that have to face Celtic. What my job is, is to make sure that our players respond to that and they’re well equipped to face it. Of course they’re favourites to win, I don’t think there’s any doubt on that. What I have to do is pay massive compliment to the work they do, the consistency levels that they have.
“I’ve played against top teams in the past that get their nose in front, take their foot off the pedal and maybe don’t put teams to the sword.
“The energy levels can drop out, that intensity to score goals maybe isn’t quite there if you’re ahead in the game.
“I see a Celtic team that when they score one they want two, when they get two they want three.
“You look at the style of play, the application of players, you look at their mind-set to do what their manager asks, which I just think is first-class.
“In all those aspects, I think it proves and it shows over the course of two seasons since Ange Postecoglou has been in charge at Celtic that it’s such a difficult task.”
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