LEAGUE CUP FINAL PREVIEW |
Derek McInnes
“Since the last final, we have come through a lot over the last few years as a team. It has developed and there is a maturity and experience about the side. I think the fact the players have had the experience of winning a cup, almost three-quarters of the team, will certainly help. Although Graeme Shinnie was on the losing side in 2014, he went on to win the Scottish Cup the following year, so the majority of the team have the experience of winning a trophy.
“Celtic will obviously have players who have experience of winning cups as well but we will have as many which is good, that will help us. We have had a lot of big games to deal with in recent years, there has been a big expectation on the team, and the fact these boys have managed to cope with that before will help us to deal with what we will face today. There is the game, the occasion, the build-up, the atmosphere and everything else that goes along with a final. But in the end, it is still a game, eleven versus eleven and it is important we try and perform on the day.
“There is no need to get the players up for a game like this. The motivation is there. It is getting that balance so you are able to perform at your best, using the adrenalin and the occasion to bring the best out of yourselves. “The result will be determined by lots of factors but the biggest factor will be individual performances. Tactics, luck and decisions will all have a part to play but normally, the team who handles the occasion better has the chance to go and win it. I do feel that getting the balance right between recognising the occasion but for seeing it for what it is, another game, is crucial. You must concentrate on the job in hand and concentrate on your role within the team and have the confidence to do your job well.
“There is nothing wrong with getting excited about a cup final but there is still a calculation and a professional approach to it as well. It is all about winning the game and not about the event.”
Joe Lewis
“We will go to Hampden and show our fighting spirit in the final. The last time we played Celtic we showed that spirit and Celtic were hanging on a bit at the end.
“Although I have promotion medals, three with Peterborough and one with Cardiff, this will be my first final which will make it a very special occasion. And I aim to make the very most of it.
“We will go to Hampden with the confidence that we can win the cup.”
Andrew Considine
“When we played Celtic in the league recently we had a couple of half chances first half, a few better openings in the second half and in the last 15 minutes we had them pinned back. I know they had a couple of breakaways, Joe has made one great save, but I thought defensively we did ok. They have some impressive fire power and we know how difficult it will be at Hampden but we have to believe we can do well. We have the forward players who can cause their defence problems but we have to be very wary of their players coming through.
“We have to be very careful when we are in possession of the football. That is a huge thing when you play against Celtic. One wrong pass can ultimately lead to a goal. We need to be defensively sound and take our chances when they come along. Against Celtic you will only get a few chances so you have to take them.”
Shay Logan
“It will be extra special for me and my family on Sunday.
“I want my little boy Kaleb to see his dad pick up that trophy and I hope it turns out to be a good day for him. I know he would love to see us win the Cup and that’s what we aim to do.
“Everybody wants to win trophies no matter where you are and we have put ourselves in position to win one on Sunday. It won’t be easy for us but it is also tough for them. We are quietly confident we can do well and have the belief we can do well.
“I have played every game this season but that doesn’t mean I am guaranteed to start on Sunday. Cup finals and cup games are one-offs and the manager will put out the team he thinks will get a result on the day.
“It might not be the team that appears on a Saturday or a Tuesday night but it will be the side he believes can win the Cup Final. At the end of the day if you win 1-0 then nobody can criticise the team selection. The final result is the one that matters and the manager will do what he thinks is best.”
Ryan Jack
“People say that once you get the experience of winning a trophy you always want more and want to do it again and that is true. Seven of the starting XI in 2014 will be involved on Sunday – Shay, Andrew, Mark, Niall, Jonny, Adam and myself, we all had the experience. It was a tense final because we knew for long stages of the game that one goal would almost certainly win the game. Hopefully that experience will stand us in good stead going into our second League Cup final in just over two years.
“As soon as I got told I was going to be captain of this club, you do start to envisage what it would be like leading the team out for a cup final at Hampden, you can’t help it, that is the great ambition. If selected, I will have that honour on Sunday. It will be a very special moment leading out my team mates who I work with every day. Hopefully the culmination of that will be winning a trophy.
“As the captain there is a lot to do leading up to a game like this. You have to look after all the requirements of the boys such as the ticketing as well as the media duties. What I learned from Russell was to get everything like that out of the way early on, so when it does come to cup final week, your preparation is all about the football, all about the game. You can just focus on the match, not who is coming to watch the game and who you are handing out tickets for.
“Sunday is a cup final, it is a one off, anything can happen. We have to go out and play without fear and hopefully we can get our hands on that trophy. We know it will be a very tough match. They will be expecting the same though. With the squad we have got and with the team we have, if we can perform, there is no reason why we can’t take the trophy back home.
“I think the belief we have comes from playing alongside the players we have in that dressing room and what we see from each other every day in training and in matches. That gives us confidence from seeing the team spirit as well as the quality and ability there is.”
James Maddison
“Having played in the semi-final, at the Stadium and having prepared for a game there, that all helps. When you arrive at a stadium for a big game and have not played there before, it can all get on top of you a little bit. The atmosphere will be completely different as it will be a sell out and it is a game I am really looking forward to.
“Hopefully come the final I will be in the side.
“I have seen the pictures of the bus parade last time and heard the stories from the boys. Those types of memories from your football career, you never forget them. Being part of that would be an unbelievable feeling.
“We have to go a win the cup first though before we can do that! It will be a really tough game as everyone knows. Celtic are a Champions League team with bags of quality in their squad. So it is going to be a very tough game but what a feeling it will be if we can win. Hopefully we can go and do that for the fans.”
Mark Reynolds
“The manager said at the start of the season if we can get to the situation where we are 90 minutes away from winning a cup it would be a good achievement. We have now put ourselves in that position. The good thing going into the game is that we have still got a good core of boys who have done it before. It is nice to have that experience behind us.
“In 2014 there were obviously a bit of nerves. We were going into the unknown. For most of us it was our first time. Only Barry I think had won trophies. This week there are plenty of people in the dressing room who can pass on advice to those who have not been there before.
“It is another very big occasion but having that experience to fall back on is important. We have been there and done it before and got over the line. Looking back and seeing what it meant to not just the club but the city makes you realise just how big Sunday is.
“It will be a very tough game. Celtic are the form team in Scotland and they have been there many times before. But we feel that over 90 minutes we can more than give them a game. We can do something special.
“Our mindset is not affected by what other people say. We have always kept what we do in-house. We have always had a belief in our own ability and a belief that the manager will send us out with the right tactics and prepared. We have a belief that we have players good enough in the changing room to beat anyone on our day if we fulfil our potential. That is all we have focussed on since the manager arrived at this club.
“We have got used to playing under pressure over the past few seasons. There is a pressure to win games every week and get big results. More often than not we have started to answer up. Our focus is always on our changing what we can affect.
“It is a massive game. We have given ourselves an opportunity and we look forward to Sunday.
“We are all willing to dig that bit deeper because we know the reward at the other side of it.
“We go into the game quietly confident but so will they. It should make for a great game. There is a confidence in our changing room because of the ability we have in there. The fact we have beaten Celtic in recent seasons gives us belief that we can do it again and I feel we have given a good account of ourselves against them this season.
“We know though we will need to be at the very top of our game if we are going to beat them.
“We have had this final in the back burner for a while now and have managed to concentrate on our league games. Now this week it is total focus on the final and we have a full complement of players. Everyone is bursting and ready to go. It is probably the most competitive it has been for a place in the starting XI. It is great the manager has so many good players to choose from. We are all fit and ready to go. There has been a good tempo at training. Whoever gets picked on Sunday will be more than ready for the game.
“We don’t want to be a team remembered for just winning the odd trophy. We want to be challenging for trophies every season. We want to make a statement of intent. We feel we have players good enough to do that.
“Around the stadium there are a lot of older pictures of the successful teams of the past. Getting our picture put up from 2014 makes you walk just that little bit taller along the corridor. Hopefully there will be another picture to put up after Sunday.”
Graeme Shinnie
“Having lifted a cup recently does help you a lot. Especially in the build-up. You know what to expect throughout the week. It eases the nerves a little bit. But if people said they were not nervous before a game like this they would be lying.
“Despite having the experience every game is different and it is a new challenge on Sunday. It is something different but that brings excitement as well. Looking around the dressing room all the boys seem really excited by it.
“I think we will have to play the perfect game to beat Celtic on Sunday. But I feel we do have the team to do that. Celtic have started the season really well, but preparation wise the past two games for us have been perfect. We have played really well. All the boys are high in confidence going into the game.
“Both teams are playing well and confidence is high in both camps so it should make for a good game. We know we can cause Celtic problems and that is what we will look to do. It is all about going out and playing and not freezing.
“On a personal note, I put pressure on myself. All your family are going to be there. They don’t put pressure on you but you want to do well for them. There is pressure from the fans as the expectation levels are understandably high at this club. To repay the support we get from the fans with a trophy would be brilliant.
“So, there is always pressure on you in football no matter who you are playing and Sunday will be no different. The nerves and the excitement is something you should thrive on.
“The first goal will be important. It would help calm the nerves. But we lost the first goal on Saturday and the attitude and the character and the team was great. So even if we concede the first goal we know we are still in the game.
“You need to have the focus heading into a game like this but you also need to be able to relax so you are able to deal with everything that comes your way. There needs to be a balance. You can’t be too overly focussed, you need to be able to relax and you also need to enjoy it. It is an enjoyable week for everyone, the build up to the game.”
Adam Rooney
“If we perform to the level’s we are capable of as a group then we are capable of beating anyone on our day as we have shown over the last couple of years. The main thing is we perform.”
Kenny McLean
“It is different to the last League Cup final I was involved in. Although I enjoyed the build up to the final with St Mirren and I was struggling with injury and had not played too many games. So, I kind of knew I was not going to be involved in the final because of the injury, and also because I was not getting a game! This time I feel very much part of it, I am playing pretty well. I don’t know the managers team but everyone is preparing to play and that is the way it should be. There are at least 18 boys hoping to play and only 11 jersey’s. It means whatever eleven is picked they will be in a very positive frame of mind. If I am out there I will be giving everything. If I am not I will be right behind the boys waiting to do my bit.
“Training is always a good quality and tempo but it has just been turned up a notch this week. The boys know there is competition for places and everyone is really pushing themselves. It brings the best out in each other.
“This week we will prepare as we do for every game. We will have a look at Celtic as well but the important thing is to get the work done which we will do. Come Sunday we will be ready to go.
“As well as myself, most of the boys in the dressing room have been involved in a final before. We have got an experienced squad now after playing in Europe for a couple of seasons and just the fact we have been together for a couple of seasons now helps. We have players who can handle these big occasions.
“Come Sunday we will be confident as we have got a bit of momentum from the last couple of results. The performances have been good and for me personally getting a couple goals was good.
“On Sunday, we know we have got the players to do well and hurt them.”
