Davies: “We’re going to have to use the whole squad”

Chris Davies believes that the build-up of games leading into the winter break is going to be a challenge, although he is confident that the squad will deal with it.

It begins on Saturday with an away trip to Dingwall to face fierce opponents, Ross County.

It is the first time that the sides have met since September, when The Hoops came away 4-0 victors at Paradise.

However, The Bhoys must not underestimate their opponents because the last time the teams met at Victoria Park in April last season, it was a 2-2 draw.

Celtic could not ask for a better game to kick-off this draining period, because they will have to be on top form to overcome a Ross County side that will battle for some form of result.

It would be disappointing if the Parkhead side’s domestic unbeaten run of 63 games came to an end.

Davies gave his thoughts to the media ahead of the game:

Hopefully we can extend the run, starting with Ross County, but that’s not how we approach games,

Playing for Celtic brings an expectation in every game, regardless of whether there’s a record or not, so that won’t affect us in any way.

It’s about performing, focusing on the game and the game-plan. Hopefully that means we’ll win games and continue the run but it’s really not something that will affect us moving forward. We’re proud to have stepped past the previous record and now it’s about business as usual.

The Celtic assistant manager went on to reveal how the team will deal with the build-up of games over the next six weeks.

He said:

It’s the busiest period of the season coming up in terms of the sheer volume of games,

We have 13 games in a six-week period, which works out about a game every three or four days, so we’re going to have to use the whole squad and make a big push now towards the winter break.

That’s something which maybe hasn’t been mentioned as much but it’s definitely a factor in football. To maintain the high level of performance for such a long period packed with so many games is another positive for us.

The manager has installed a culture whereby the players are very much a squad of players rather than just a team. The mentality is such that the players who aren’t starting a game are working hard on their fitness and their own development and their game so that when they do step into the team they’re ready and prepared.

That mentality is ultimately set by the manager and the culture he has established. That’s allowed us to change players and different players have game-time and perform at a high level. All the players in the squad are valued and feel valued by the manager and the staff.

That’s important as well because each and every one of them is important and unique and we need them all. The success of this run is testament to that.

All the best teams have competition for places and that’s exactly what we’ve got here. You look through the positions and each position has good competition because there’s quality throughout the squad. That naturally helps players maintain their level and it’s very important.

Celtic have great squad depth and that is crucial in a busy period like this.

The positives of having so many games in such a short space of time is that, players who do not usually get a run-out will be given their chance to impress, and that can only benefit The Hoops’ chances of remaining unbeaten domestically.

Brendan Rodgers is familiar with this situation as he had to deal with it at this stage of last season, when Celtic had 12 games to play before the winter break.

The Bhoys remained domestically unbeaten then, and there is no reason why they cannot do the same again.