NafisaCallum McGregor has already made his intentions for the new season perfectly clear.
The Celtic captain is not approaching another campaign with the mindset of simply defending what the club has already achieved. Instead, the midfielder wants to keep pushing the club forward — and his words from just two weeks ago have taken on an entirely different meaning following the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final draw.
Celtic will travel to Ibrox to face Derek McInnes’ Rangers in the last eight of the competition, setting up the first Old Firm meeting of the campaign. Rangers booked their place with a 5-1 demolition of St Mirren, while Celtic cruised past Dundee United 4-0 at Tannadice.
The fixture has already generated plenty of excitement, particularly given that McInnes will be facing Celtic twice in the space of just over a week, with the League Cup meeting followed by a Premiership clash at Celtic Park.
But McGregor’s comments from earlier in the summer suggest Celtic’s ambitions go considerably beyond simply getting one over their city rivals.
McGregor makes Celtic’s ambitions clear
Speaking before the season had properly gathered momentum, McGregor was asked about his desire to continue driving Celtic forward.
The skipper’s response was revealing.
“I want to keep driving everything I possibly can to make sure this club is successful. The day that you do leave it, you want to leave it in a really good place.”
Those words underline the responsibility McGregor feels as Celtic captain.
For him, success is not simply about collecting another medal and moving on. There is an obvious desire to leave Celtic stronger than he found it and to make sure the standards remain exceptionally high.
And that mentality becomes even more interesting when viewed against what lies ahead.
Because Celtic now have Rangers standing in their way of another domestic cup run.
“Hopefully we can do it in a bit more style”
McGregor also made it clear that Celtic want to improve on their performances rather than simply rely on their previous success.
“This season hopefully we can do it (win the League and other Titles) in a bit more style, the way that we’re used to.”
That is quite the statement.
The Celtic captain wasn’t talking about settling for scraping over the line. He wants the team to win the league and other trophies while doing so in a manner that reflects the club’s expectations.
And he revealed that the work had already begun.
“Work’s been going on through pre-season to make sure that happens.”
That is where the upcoming Old Firm clash becomes particularly intriguing.
Celtic have been preparing for a season in which they expect to compete for everything, while Rangers are now attempting to build momentum under McInnes after a difficult opening spell.
The League Cup quarter-final could therefore become an early examination of whether either side is closer to achieving its ambitions.
Rangers now stand directly in Celtic’s way
There is no question that the draw has added another layer of intrigue to the competition.
Rangers will have home advantage when the two sides meet at Ibrox, and McInnes was clearly delighted with that part of the draw after finally getting his first victory as Rangers boss.
The 5-1 win over St Mirren was a major relief for the Ibrox club, ending McInnes’ difficult opening run and sending Rangers into the quarter-finals.
McInnes described the Celtic fixture as a “mouth-watering tie”, while admitting Rangers will need to become stronger before September if they are going to compete with Celtic.
That makes McGregor’s earlier words particularly relevant.
The Celtic captain has already outlined the standard he wants from his own team.
Now Rangers have been placed directly in their path.
Celtic won’t simply be thinking about Rangers
It would be easy for the Old Firm rivalry to dominate the conversation, but McGregor’s comments demonstrate that Celtic’s ambitions are much broader.
The target is not simply beating Rangers.
It is winning the league.
It is winning cups.
It is competing strongly in Europe.
And, most importantly, it is maintaining the standards expected at Celtic.
The Old Firm quarter-final is therefore just one obstacle in what McGregor hopes becomes another trophy-filled campaign.
And there is something particularly interesting about his choice of words.
He didn’t say Celtic wanted to win something.
He spoke about winning “the League and other Titles” and doing it in the style supporters have become accustomed to.
That is a pretty clear declaration of intent from the captain.
The pressure is now on
With the quarter-final confirmed, those words from McGregor have suddenly become even more relevant.
Rangers will have the advantage of playing at Ibrox, and McInnes will have several weeks to strengthen and settle his squad.
Celtic, meanwhile, will have their own European ambitions to manage alongside the domestic campaign.
But if McGregor gets his way, none of that will change the objective.
Celtic want to keep winning.
They want to keep setting the standard.
And they want to leave the club in an even stronger position than the one they inherited.
So when Rangers and Celtic finally meet at Ibrox in September, it won’t merely be another Old Firm derby.
For McGregor and Celtic, it could be the first major test of the ambitious promise their captain made just two weeks ago.
And if his words are anything to go by, the Hoops aren’t heading to Ibrox simply hoping to survive the McInnes challenge — they’re going there expecting to keep their trophy ambitions alive.
Nafisa
