Top Line Summary

  • Delighted with Easter Road win
  • Addresses recent team form
  • How he manages expectation
  • Comparing Celtic and Benfica

Everything Celtic midfielder Paulo Bernardo said to the media, ahead of this weekend's Scottish Cup tie with St Mirren...

Can I get your thoughts on the game on Wednesday, the full-time celebrations, how much did that win mean? How big did it feel for the players?

We knew we needed to win the game. A goal in the last minute is always good. We showed so much passion to win the game. Sometimes it has to be that way. We are very happy to have won the game.

Did it feel like a big moment to get that win over the line?

Yes, we need confidence and it brings a little bit more of that to the team. We knew that we needed the win. It was great to win.

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If Celtic do go on to be champions come the end of the season do you feel you will have to play better and step up your levels as a team?

Yes, of course. We need to always improve our game. We need to improve in training and play in the games and give a bit more than we can do.

What has the manager's message been over the last week or so? Celtic have been at two difficult away grounds and got four points which can be seen as a good return. What has he been saying to you? How do you need to improve? Where do you need to improve?

That's a question for the coaches and they will teach us how to make us better. We had a great time before the break and we have to replicate that level. That comes with confidence and playing more games. I think we are playing better each game and we just need to keep going.

There are players in this dressing room who have been there and won it - trophies, league titles and cups - Callum (McGregor), or Cameron (Carter-Vickers) players like that who tell guys like yourself that you have dips and tough away performances and that it is all part of the long run of a season?

Yes, of course. Everything in life is that way. Football is not different. We have a long season, we have ups and downs, we just have to stick together - the team, the coaches and the fans - and keep going and improve with every game.

Why do you think the performance levels have dipped after the break, from the ones you spoke about?

Sometimes it happens. We have some injuries. We got the rhythm before the break. I think we are doing quite well; we just need to make our opportunities in front of the goal, and goals help. We are doing some things well and some things that we have to improve on. We have a little problem with scoring goals because we need more chances to score more goals. I think that problem causes that impression.

Going to St Mirren in the cup, you went there recently, and it was a very good performance. Does that almost allow the team to replicate that day?

Yes, but we need to look at this game as a new game. We need to look at the other game to see what we did good and what we did that was not so good in order to improve and keep going.

How do you deal with the demands of every game? Is that something that you’re used to at Benfica?

We are at Celtic, a big club. We have to win all of the games that we participate in. In Benfica, it happened too, so I think all of my youth teams in Benfica were like that also.

READ MORE: Are Celtic playing slower this year under Brendan Rodgers?

Even when you were like 12 or 13, the demand is there and the expectation to win? Is that something you grew up with, and does that help at Celtic?

Yes, Benfica is a big club and Celtic too. I think they are quite similar clubs and the demands are to win every game. In Benfica, it is the same.

You’ve started a lot of games in a row, are you seeing the benefits of playing 90 minutes?

It's always good to play. The confidence levels go high. I think we players improve more in games than in training, so it’s better for us to play the games.