Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley has detailed the off-field struggles he faced in past weeks following a return to form in Ange Postecoglou’s side.
The Dane has found his mojo again in recent matches, assisting against Rangers at Parkhead and bagging a brace away at Kilmarnock.
He is the top assister in the Scottish Premiership so far in 2022/23 with 11 and the 22 year old even admitted how he has endured an upturn in form of late (Football Scotland):
“I think I’ve played pretty well in the last four or five games”
Nonetheless, O’Riley did admit he did not hit the heights expected of him for a while earlier in the season:
“People will always have something to say and I’m not going to say that I didn’t have a slight rough patch around the new year, for various reasons.
“There is stuff off the pitch that might not always be obvious to the naked eye, and probably gets overlooked because you’re seen as a footballer instead of as a person.”
The 22 year old also opened up on the negative side of social media in the modern world:
“I genuinely only use social media to post, other than that I don’t check it at all because I don’t think it does me any good.
“I’m in a good place mentally [now] and usually when that’s the case, the rest takes care of itself. I was at a good level last week but I think I can still play better.”
Undoubtedly, the effects of social media can impact anyone in any walk of life, not just footballers.
Celtic’s Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates scoring their second goal with Matt O’Riley REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
As well as this, though, the pressure O’Riley would put on himself also impacted him:
“Previously in the season, and last season, I set quite a high bar, so maintaining that level and looking to improve on it was always going to be tough. I’m still pretty young as well so I’ve got a lot still to learn on the way.
“I’m getting better at trying not to be so hard on myself. There have been times in the past when I’ve not had as good a game as I wanted to, and then there are little things you carry with you.
“I don’t think that’s a good approach to have, because you end up taking them into training. That’s something I’ve improved on a lot and I think that’s why you now see me in a better place on the pitch.”
Sometimes it is not the best idea to be hard on yourself and accept that no one is perfect.
This certainly applies to O’Riley and it appears that ever since he has lowered the bar for himself in his mind, he has rekindled his form which has been vastly productive for Celtic.
