Harry Kewell has revealed the Celtic wake up call that motivated Aaron Mooy to find his form ahead of the World Cup.
The Aussie midfielder started the Hoops’ only Premiership defeat of the season so far as St Mirren stunned the champions back in September, beating Ange Postecoglou’s side 2-0 in Paisley. Mooy lasted only 45 minutes before being hooked at half-time as he struggled to get to grips with the intensity required with some fans doubting the wisdom of signing the former Brighton star on a free transfer after failing to impress against the club he had a spell on loan with over a decade ago.
Mooy made further cameos off the bench in the aftermath of that defeat, coming on in wins over Motherwell and St Johnstone. However, he’s since played 90 minutes in Celtic’s next three league games against Hibs, Hearts and Livingston respectively before dropping to the bench against Dundee United on Saturday. That came after 53 minutes against Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu in midweek.
Kewell has been delighted with his compatriot’s response to his half time hooking. And he believes he’s timed his improvement perfectly ahead of heading out to the World Cup in Qatar with the Socceroos. "He had a moment where he didn’t play well, and then the manager (Postecoglou) took him off, but the manager knows him that well, that he knows what type of reaction he gets,” Kewell told NCA.
“There were a lot of factors in that game, but like all professional players, if you get taken off, you feel it was (because) of you. It was part of the structure that the manager wants to play. but obviously (Mooy) felt hard done by so he went out there and he wanted to work even harder. That just goes to show the professionalism that he’s got. Aaron has gone from there and he’s just getting stronger and fitter. He’s looking fantastic, he’s looking powerful, he’s looking strong, he’s looking comfortable on the ball, and I know he will take this into the Australian squad.
“You need someone like him to be able to calm everyone down, somebody in there that’s been at the highest level and be able to just relax you. It’s important for Australia to have someone like him in there, but don’t forget, he can actually shift as well. He can move and he can play the balls over the top, and we do have players with pace out wide, so the opportunity for us to be able to maybe utilise that is in our favour.”
With the Premiership set to take a back seat ahead of the tournament getting underway in the Middle East, Kewell and Postecoglou will head home for the Sydney World Cup as the Hoops go Down Under to take on Everton and Sydney FC. Postecoglou is keen to showcase his team’s style. And Kewell reckons they are amongst the best sides to watch in Europe just now.
“It’s always great to come home,” Kewell said. “I haven’t been there for such a long time I’m really excited to be part of this. Celtic is one the most exciting teams in Europe at the moment.”
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