Celtic defender admits players have ‘not been good enough’ amid inconsistent form
Liam Scales has admitted the Hoops have fallen short of expectations in recent weeks despite extending their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
The Republic of Ireland international scored the only goal in Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Kilmarnock, converting Camilo Durán’s first-half delivery to secure three valuable points for Martin O’Neill’s side.
The result moved Celtic four points clear at the summit and followed Thursday night’s dramatic 3-2 Europa League victory over Beşiktaş.
However, Scales acknowledged that the Scottish champions have struggled for consistency between the international breaks and believes there is still considerable room for improvement.
Speaking at his post-match media conference, Scales said: “Yeah, definitely. We know we haven’t been good enough between the last international window and this one. We’ve let a few results go and we’re not exactly where we’d want to be.
“It was just really important to get these last two games, to get wins before the break and hopefully then we’ll feel in a good place to come back and hit the ground running.”
The defender also admitted Celtic’s disappointing results had affected confidence within the squad, although he believes Thursday’s European victory has provided a much-needed lift.
He continued: “Yeah, I do think confidence is a massive part of our group. And I do feel like it was probably hit a little bit.
“And then to get a win against Besiktas, who are our top side, that’s boosted us a little bit and there’s been a better mood around.
“I suppose we just want to keep having good results and today was important
Despite Celtic’s advantage at the top of the table, Scales stressed the importance of maintaining their position rather than allowing Rangers an opportunity to close the gap.
Asked about the league standings, he added: “We always want to be at the top of the table, we don’t want to be chasing. We want to be arm’s length from the challengers.
“That is the goal I suppose, all season is to be at the top. It is important to us but obviously there’s still so many games to play.”
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