James Forrest knows this pre-season is very different because Champions League-bound Celtic don’t have to worry about the pitfalls of European qualification.
The champions have been in Austria and will head to Czech Republic to finish this leg of their tour off with a game against Banik Ostrava on Wednesday. Celtic’s title success last season means that they automatically go into the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in five years.
Normally at this stage of the season the Hoops and Forrest have had to navigate qualifiers in outposts like Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. It means there are no distractions for Ange Postecoglou ’s side and the main focus can be on getting things right for their flag day opener against Aberdeen at the end of the month.
Forrest admitted: “It’s class. Those four qualifiers as well and going to different places…I think it’s good for the club and for Scottish football as well that everybody can look forward to the draw and going straight into the groups. We’ve been everywhere, and the game on Wednesday (against Wiener Viktoria) would probably have been a qualifier.
“So, it’s good for everyone that we get together over pre-season and the first game will be the first league game. We’ve not had that in a while. We’ll look forward to the draw when it comes.
“The Champions League nights are class, and it’s amazing even when we go away from home as well. We’re all looking forward to it when it comes along.”
It was five years ago under Brendan Rodgers that Celtic were at the top table and Forrest is well aware it will guarantee some special nights. He said: “It’s been five years, it feels as though we’ve not been there for a wee while, but once that first game comes around it will just feel that Celtic are meant to be in the Champions League with those big nights. A lot of the boys probably haven’t played in the Champions League, so everyone will be buzzing.”
Celtic have signed Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alexandro Bernabei and Benjy Siegrist. It has strengthened their squad and Forrest knows Celtic will need to step up again because Rangers will be coming back at them again.
The Scotland star claimed: “It was the same when they won the league the year before. We had a big turnaround in players with the amount that left and then new players coming in.
“I think over the last two seasons Celtic and Rangers have been really close, so I think this year it’s going to be the same. We’re going to have to kick on and do more than we did last year.
“You’ve got to go into the season that way. You can’t really focus on anyone else, you just have to keep improving yourself.”
This is Forrest’s 13th pre-season. He turned 31 whilst in Austria but he has lost none of his hunger or love for Celtic. He signed a new deal last season and didn’t do it just to see out his career.
He explained: “I was delighted to sign my deal, and I think it was good for me and the club, but I don’t want to just say that I’ll stay here for the sake of staying here.
“I want to win more things and play as much as I can, and if that means staying here for the rest of my career, then I’d be happy with that. It’s just the same as every year, I’ve had a lot of good seasons before and you just have to try to come back stronger after having injuries and I’ve been doing that.
“I’ve started well this pre-season and I want to continue to do that, and hopefully I’ll take that into the season as well. You speak to older boys and that and I turned 31 on Thursday, but I love being here and I wouldn’t want to be here if I just wanted to plod along.
“I want to keep trying to help the team, keep trying to win stuff and play as much as I can. I’m looking forward to the season just as I did with last season as well.”
He is the most decorated player in the Celtic squad but knows that counts for nothing and he will need to show he should be one of Ange Postecoglou’s first picks. The challenge is getting even tougher with Jota, Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda and Mikey Johnston all fighting for the wide positions.
He added: “The manager hasn’t said that, but I know myself. We even said as soon as we got here, for all of the boys that did so well last year, it starts afresh and everything kind of gets forgotten about.
“I think that’s the best way to look at it, you can’t look back on what you have done before, you need to keep going on and trying to improve. It doesn’t matter what age you are, that goes for everyone.
“I remember over different spells throughout my Celtic career, every spell when we’ve done really well, the squad has been really good and really strong. You look at the amount of international boys and the young boys coming through as well, we’ve got a big squad over here and the standard is really good in training. That’s good for the players and it’s obviously good for the manager as well.”
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