ST JOHNSTONE manager Simo Valakari tonight expressed his admiration of Celtic’s intensity following the McDiarmid Park club’s defeat at Parkhead - and admitted he would like his men to learn from their opponents.
The struggling Perth outfit fell three points behind Hearts at the bottom of the William Hill Premiership table this afternoon after being beaten 4-0 by the Scottish champions in the East End of Glasgow.
However, former Finnish internationalist Valakari confessed that he was impressed with the hunger the hosts showed during the league encounter as he praised the effort which his own players put in to the 90 minutes.
“We need to have almost a perfect day and the opponent needs to play below the bar,” he said. “Unfortunately for us, it didn't happen today. Yes, we have a lot of our own problems and we need to fix them, but sometimes you need to respect the football the opponent plays.
“It's 89 minutes, it's 4-0 and they don't let us breathe. They just come and come and come. So if we can learn from the best, it's very good for our process. So no disappointment or anything, all players gave something.”
Valakari, who replaced Craig Levein as St Johnstone manager in October, conceded the Premiership match against Hibernian at McDiarmid Park on Thursday is now of huge importance for his side.
“Now we have put ourselves in this position,” he said. “It's a very big game, a very, very big game. We need to somehow, somewhere and as soon as possible to start getting these points. We can't just think, ‘Next opportunity, next opportunity’.
“You need to be strong at home and when you look at our history, we have not been strong at home. That needs to change because we have good fans.
“We know how to play there so no excuses. That's our lifeline - to get points from these home matches coming up and then go on the road and do the same. Sometimes on the road, it's even easier to play because the pressure is not on you. But these home matches coming up? Yes, we need to use it as well as possible.”
Asked if he is hopeful of strengthening his squad in the January transfer window, Valakari said: “We'll see what happens. As always, the club, all of us, we're working every side of the club very, very hard and it will be okay.”
