Everything Liam Scales had to say following Celtic's 2-1 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park...
Liam, what did you make of the game?
They were very good the whole game. They were well-organised defensively, and then in the second half, to be fair to them, they came at us and a go at us. We got the first goal, which was a bit of luck because it was a great ball in, but it went all the way through and ended up in the back of the net. The last ten minutes were just carnage, with them getting the goal back and then we go and score at the other end. Matt (O’Riley) has been brilliant, he's been outstanding in every single game, and he comes up with goals and assists, he’s been brilliant. We had hope at the end that we could get another one and win the game.
When they equalise in 95 minutes, a lot of teams will probably think that’s about it, but you just get the sleeves rolled up again?
Yeah, we knew that there has been a lot of added time in games recently. Greg (Taylor) went down after 90 minutes, so we knew we were going to have an extra minute or two, and obviously, them scoring and the celebration took up time. We knew that we would have another chance to go and get a goal. That’s the ethos of the club and we just keep going.
What do you think that does for you, just in terms of mentality and revealing the character within the team ahead of Wednesday night?
Yeah, it's massive. It keeps us on a good roll. In the league, we've been doing quite well. To give the fans that buzz as well on Wednesday night when they're coming to Celtic Park, it's going to be amazing. We’re going to have an advantage in that sense that the fans are going to be right with us because they knew we dug in this weekend to get the three points. It's massive, it's great momentum, isn’t it? It'll keep us going in the right direction.
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You’ve shown character in these games, you’ll need that character at spells against teams like Lazio, won't you?
Yeah definitely, that’s what a lot of these Champions League games are. Character is the right word. Spot on.
What are you expecting against a team like Lazio? That’s not going to be an easy game, is it?
No, it's going to be tough similar to Feyenoord, these European teams, we are going to have to sit down for the next couple of days and analyse them and see where they are best. That’s what the build-up is going to be this week. We know every team in the Champions League are top sides, so we know we need to bring our top game to go and get a result.
Are you going to be the senior partner now in the backline? Obviously, with Nat (Phillips) coming in, who has played a couple of games here and there, are you going to take that senior role and boss him around at the back?
I don’t know, we’ll see! I'm happy, and I'm happy that I'm playing, that’s it.
A lot of players have signed up long-term, Matt (O’Riley) being the latest one. Does that help the feelgood factor in the place as well, when you know people’s futures are secured?
Yeah, definitely. I think on a personal level – not for me, but for the players that have signed new contracts – their heads are settled, and they know that they’re happy in the club. If they weren’t happy, then they wouldn’t be signing new contracts, so it shows how happy they are that they're all signing long-term deals. It makes it settled for us, now we know we've got a good core. It's good for us.
What did you absorb from that Feyenoord game when you went away and reflected on it? What was your overriding feeling?
I showed that I can play at that level now, that’s what I took from it. Id never played in a Champions League game. To go there and play against the Dutch champions, up until the sending off I thought we were comfortable. That’s what I took from that, as I proved to myself that I can play at that level.
It's given you quite a bit of conviction going into these games?
Yeah, definitely. There's still room for improvement, there always is. If I can go and perform in the Champions League and we as a team can perform in the Champions League, we should really keep it going on the weekends and in turn, keep rolling out wins in the league.
Are you looking forward to the Celtic Park atmosphere in midweek in the European game?
Yeah definitely. I haven’t experienced it as a player. I was there last year against Real Madrid. I was up at Aberdeen but came down and experienced it from the stands, and it was amazing. I can't wait to see what it's like on the pitch.
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These home games in the group are going to be huge. How big are they?
Definitely. Look, it's definitely a tough place to come for other teams. If we can pick up points at home and leave ourselves in a good position, then we're going to have to make it a fortress. We know we can, and we know we have the ability to make it really difficult for them. So, we’ll see how well we can do in the group.
Liam, you’ve had so many defensive partners in your short stint so far in this current season. You’ve had Tomoki Iwata and you’ve had Phillips as well. How much of a vote of confidence is it that you're staying on the pitch, whereas other players are maybe getting subbed off?
Yeah, it's great. I'm just delighted to be getting a run in the team and playing these games. It definitely does give me confidence. It helps me that I'm left-footed and I can offer that balance as well, as the rest are right-footed. It's good for me to get minutes and get a run of games because it's been hard for me at Celtic, I'm not going to lie. The first year here, I didn’t really get a run of games, so it's a good experience.
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