Greg Taylor is adamant Celtic’s preparations for Inverness Caley Thistle will be exactly the same as they were for Real Madrid.
And the Parkhead star says the troops are back in an ideal place for Hampden ahead of Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final against the Highlanders. Taylor and his team are just 90 minutes from a Treble triumph and warmed-up for the showpiece with a 5-0 weekend hammering of Aberdeen. The Premiership winners collected that silverware afterwards and are also overwhelming favourites to complete the domestic clean sweep against opposition from the Championship.
But Taylor says no one inside the camp takes anything for granted and the game approach never alters. This season Celtic went in against the likes of Real in the Champions League group stage, and whether it’s the Spaniards or other sides, the build-up for Ange Postecoglou and his squad is unchanged. When it was put to Taylor that a clash against Inverness would be given the same treatment as a tie against Madrid, he said: “Exactly. We’ve been big on focusing on ourselves.
“We’ve treated every game the same way all throughout the season. We prepare for the next one and that’s what we’ll do for the final. We know if we reach a good level of performance, it’ll stand us in good stead in most games. Again, we’ll try to reach the levels that we can, similar to what we did against Aberdeen.”
Guarding against any pundit or observer who might dare suggest it’s only Inverness, Taylor continued: “I don’t think anyone in this building would utter those words. We know Inverness will be raring to go, it’s a cup final and you only get the opportunity on the day.”
The favourites tag is, of course, nothing new to Celtic. They have it every time they step onto a pitch in domestic football. Taylor said: “It brings a different pressure to us. We’re the favourites in most games we play and we understand that’s the pressure at this club.”
Celtic were back at their best against the Dons as they ran the Reds ragged. Having failed to reach their highest standards in the three games against Rangers, St Mirren and Hibs which followed the winning of the title against Hearts, Postecoglou’s side needed to get into their rhythm ahead of the National Stadium crunch.
Taylor and his team did just that and he said: “It was a good performance I think was needed going into the final. It’s something to build on and we’ll be ready.
“It was important after the last few games, for a number of reasons. We didn’t get to the levels we had done for 10 or 11 months before that, so it was important we put on a performance, especially for the fans. They were amazing. We’re in a good place going into the final.”
Once the Dons were dismantled, attention then switched to the Hampden contest. However, given the magnitude of their success, it was important for the players and management to enjoy the moment with the supporters.
Trophy Day was a big occasion. Legends of the past such as Jim Craig and Martin O’Neill addressed fans beforehand. There was a spectacular tifo display and friends and family were on the park after full-time.
The team made sure they soaked it all in as Taylor said: “Definitely. We need to realise there is a game next week, so we have one eye on that, but you need to appreciate these moments.
“We’re in a very privileged position that not many footballers get the chance to do, the chance to win things. We’ve got to appreciate that and appreciate the fans. It’s a special day.”
Taylor now has six winners medals in his collection having joined the club from Kilmarnock - and the feeling never gets tiring. He added: “It doesn’t, to be honest. It only gets more and more special every time. Every time, you learn to appreciate it that wee bit more. I’ll be appreciating every last second of playing for this club.”
Taylor might be happy with his haul at this stage, but knows he’s got a long way to go before he gets close to the achievements of two of his colleagues who were with him amongst the celebrations.
Skipper Callum McGregor was the one who lifted the trophy as he snared the 19th winners medal of his career. That number, though, is still beaten by James Forrest, who appeared as a second-half sub against the Dons.
Taylor said: “Unbelievable. Two club legends in my eyes. The amount of honours they have, games they’ve played, their goals and assists, they’re both a credit to the club. You can see they love every moment of winning things for Celtic. Well done to them. I’ll do well if I can get to their level, to be honest. It’s some feat to reach.
“I don’t look that far ahead. I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to play for a club this size at the moment and however long that lasts I will try to take in every moment.
“It would be crazy to get to their level. It’s so hard to win things in a football career, so for those guys to have won that amount is really unbelievable. They are two legends.”
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