Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston faced the press after the Hoops’ humbling 3-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox.
The Canadian international provided a candid assessment of the team’s performance, dismissing any notions of complacency and stressing the need for reflection and recovery.
Celtic simply weren’t at the races throughout the match, an didn’t threaten Rangers. Kelly was forced into just one save when Reo Hatate fired one at the ‘keeper.
Kyogo thought he pulled the Hoops level to 1-1, but the linesman correctly had his flag raised.
Celtic then watched as Rangers doubled their lead before adding a third late into the game.
When asked if complacency played a role in Celtic’s underwhelming performance, Johnston was quick to refute the suggestion: [TCW]
“Yeah, I don’t think complacency is the word. It’s going to happen in football.
“They’re a good team. Again, we weren’t at the race from the get-go and they punished us. And unfortunately, we just couldn’t find a way to really get a grips of the game.
“That comes down to us more than anything. I wouldn’t say it’s complacency. You can see the passion in the guys’ eyes.
“But yeah, it wasn’t our day. And we’ve got to take our medicine and understand that as much as we want to be perfect every day, we weren’t tonight. Nw we’ve got to kick on.
“This could be a massive thing that we can look at and now bounce back from and use as motivation to remind ourselves that there’s still a long way to go here.”
With Celtic back in action against St Mirren in less than 72 hours, Johnston and his teammates will have the opportunity to put the derby disappointment behind them and return to winning ways at Parkhead. It’s the benefit of not having a winter break this season.
While the defeat at Ibrox stings, Johnston’s level-headed response highlights the team’s determination to bounce back and continue their strong campaign, which has them 11 points clear at the top of the table.
The next challenge awaits, and Celtic will be eager to show their true colours.
