Arne Engels enjoying the busy schedule

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Celtic F.C.

·7 Januari 2025

Arne Engels enjoying the busy schedule

When the Hoops take to the field tomorrow night (Wednesday) against Dundee United here at Celtic Park, it will be for the third game of a run of six consecutive midweek matches for the side.

In the recent past, a very busy December has generally been followed by a January broken up by a winter break for players and fans alike.

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However, this season, a very busy seven-game December has been followed by an even busier nine-game January with the fixtures coming thick and fast in no fewer than three different competitions before the end of the month.

It’s a schedule that Arne Engels isn’t used to after the Belgian Bhoy’s time in the Bundesliga with Augsburg where, last season the German side had a fixture list of four games in December and three in January, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

He said ahead of the visit of the Tannadice team: “It’s been good, it’s been fast with games every three days, so it’s coming really fast, but that’s the way we like it actually.

“We don’t need to think about our previous game, we just go on and I think we are in a really good way.

“We’re in a good situation now, so it’s nice that the games are coming quickly.”

He said of his own performances after picking up a clutch of Man of the Match awards recently: “I think I’m in really good form, I’m performing well I think, but you can always do better.

‘Like any sportsman, you always want to do better in every game, even if you score or give an assist, you always have some points that you want to see improved.’

“But I think in general I’m doing fine.”

The glut of games, of course, means squad rotation is a must with the quick-fire routine of playing and recovery making time on the training ground even more important for a squad of players who all want to start every game, especially the bigger matches.

Engels said: “Sometimes that’s normal. It’s up to me to show in training that I’m ready for the big games, and I think I did that.

“Like every player in the team, everybody wants to be in that team when the big games arrive, but everybody did really great, so then it’s just waiting for the opportunity and then taking it.

“So I think that’s what I did and hopefully I will do it also in the next games.

“Like I said, it’s up to me to show in training and in the games and the minutes that I get, that I deserve to be in the starting 11.

“But everybody will do that and everybody will show that in training, so that’s the really nice competition that we have here and then it’s the manager that decides.”

He added: “In the beginning everybody was asking me if I felt the pressure, but I don’t really feel it, I just want to play and enjoy my football.

“That’s why I’m here, that’s why everybody’s here. Everybody wants to improve every day, and that’s what we are doing here on the training ground.

“So it’s always nice to see the things that you are working on improving in the games so these are the positive feelings that I have.”