Everything Celtic Carl Starfelt had to say to the media post-match after the defeat on penalties to Everton in the Sydney Super Cup.

How is your fitness and do you feel you are improving as quickly as possible?

I am delighted with every minute. I need to get up to 100 per cent match fitness. I am happy with this little break, and I can really put in a shift and get my match fitness back.

This week won't be quite the holiday for you then as you will be working very hard - won't you?

Yes. The team is taking 10 days off but I will keep working as I think I need it. I haven't played a lot of football in six months because of injury and I will work hard to get my fitness back. 

Have you been given a specific fitness programme?

Yes. I will basically keep training and I will go away as well but I will train where I am.

It has been a really difficult season for you as in pre-season you were having to train well away from the squad how difficult is that psychologically?

The pre-season was tough. I thought I would get back when the season started and then obviously, the second blow was really tough, actually, but I am back on the pitch now and I am happy about that.

How hard is it to miss that much football, especially when you see the guys are doing well, and does that makes it harder to break into the team?

Obviously, it's tough, especially with the Champions League and missing a lot of games as that was something I was looking forward to a lot. I am just happy to be back, and I am looking forward."

There is a good fight for positions between the defence with Moritz Jenz coming in and doing very well and young Stephen and Cameron going to the World Cup, there is a real scrap for places isn't there?

Yes. It is good. We have really good players and that makes for strong competition and not only in the centre-back positions but almost every position. That is how the manager wants it and that is how you push the players to never relax and always try to improve their game, and I think that is what's happening.

Does that healthy competition bring out the best in you as well?

Yes. I think so. It brings out the best in every player and you can never relax as you have to be at it all the time and that is a good thing for sure. You will always have good players coming into form replacing the ones who are out of form. It is a positive.

Celtic Way:

The league table makes pretty good reading for Celtic, is the title done and dusted is it finished?

No, absolutely not. There is a long season ahead and we are not even close to the halfway point. We always take it game by game like we did last season and that's what we do.

Can you imagine complacency ever setting in at this club because there is an edge because of the competition for places will Celtic always avoid that?

I think we have very high standards. The manager is always pushing us every day to never relax. You can see it in training every day and we are trying to be at it, and if we fall out of it then the manager is there to push us back into it. I am not worried about complacency.

We see bits and pieces of the manager behind the scenes and he is very driven, ambitious and has lots of passion. The other night he was quite critical of the team after the Sydney game which was a surprise, but that is just down to the standards that he sets isn't it? Are you getting used to it now?

The manager sets high standards and I think that's how it should be. Every player pushing for Celtic and more should have high standards. If you throw players excuses, then they will have them. You have to go out there and perform no matter the circumstances.

Have you been on the end of Ange's temper yet and what is it like? 

Yes. He is a really good manager and he knows what he wants. If someone falls out of it he will push them back into it. I think most of the boys have experienced the temper at some point.

The last month was demanding and you came through it do you think that said it all about the players?

It really was demanding but the whole season has been like that so far for us with a lot of European games. We play two games every week and we pushed on really well in the league. We want to be in the Champions League and we want to perform there so we can never drop our standards even though we only play in the Scottish league for the next six months we need to approach it with a Champions League mentality and keep up the standards. It is hard to do but we will try our very best to keep up the standards we need to play in Europe.

Japan, Croatia, Australia or America to win the World Cup?

It is a hard question. I will take the USA because of my big defensive pal Cameron Carter-Vickers at the back. All the Celtic players that are going have been in terrific form. Hopefully, they get to play and if they get game time I think they will do very well.

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