Stephen Welsh's Celtic Q+A in full: Celtic's incredible high intensity and Kyogo's amazing energy levels

It doesn't mean anything in terms of position in the group but for us, it is another opportunity to go and play in Europe and hopefully a full-house crowd at Celtic Park and it is a great stage to show what we can do. It will be a tough game as Real Betis are a good team and we put in a good performance over there and unfortunately, we did not get the result but we will look to rectify that tomorrow night.

Is this a chance to right some wrongs from the Betis game and show that you are still up there?

It is another opportunity for us to go and play our football in the same way that we do in every game. We went over to Spain and attacked in the first half and our performance was excellent but what we did on Sunday against Dundee United is that we kept it going for 90 minutes. We are looking to take Sunday's performance into tomorrow night and hoping for a good result.

What do these games do for your personal development as you started away to Bayer Leverkusen and you may start against Real Betis tomorrow - is that huge for you in your development?

Yes exactly. The experience you get from playing the top sides in Europe especially in the Europa League is invaluable. Leverkusen is probably one of the best in the competition and Betis are not far off them as they are a great side with experienced international players. For me and for all the players it is great to test yourselves against some of the best sides in Europe to see what you can do.

European football after Christmas - do you still have plenty to prove on this stage?

That is a massive thing for us as you always want to have European football after the New Year as it is something to look forward to in terms of going and showing what you can do in the latter stages of European competition.

After the final Europa League game it is a busy period - do you relish the opportunity to have so many games at the moment?

Having games is better than training every day. Playing games every 3-4 days is brilliant for us as we have a big squad as well and we can use a lot of players because of the quality that we have got. It is very good and we are relishing the opportunity to go and play and we will be fully focused on this one and then we will look ahead to Sunday after this?

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Is it that extra opportunity for you to take your chance and impress particularly with the transfer window coming up and new players coming in too?

I think when people said it was a dead rubber game it is not for the player. It is another chance for us to go and show what we can do at the highest level. It is also an opportunity to show the manager what we can do. There is competition for places all over the pitch and it will be a good opportunity for everyone.

You were on the bench in Spain, what do you think Celtic learned that night in terms of coming out of this one with a positive result?

Probably to trust what we were doing for the full 90 minutes and we did that on Sunday. It is probably one of the first times we produced a performance and played the way we wanted to play for the full game. We did it a few times this season and the first 45 against Betis was excellent and we tired a bit in the second half. They have got quality and you can't discount that but we will be looking to play for 90-95 minutes with 100 per cent energy and quality and we have definitely got that in the side.

With each week that goes by are you learning something different with Ange on the training pitch?

That's what happens at this club as you have a game every three or four days and I wouldn't say there is a lot of time on the training pitch but what we have done and achieved so far has been good. We still have a long way to go to be at our very best but we are getting there. We are putting in good performances and the way we are playing and it's exciting football. The footballers we have in the team attacking wise are very dangerous and they can hurt other teams and we have the quality to do that tomorrow as well.

You had to come off after a knock against Hearts, are you fully fit and raring to go?

Yes. I should be ready to go tomorrow as I am absolutely fine now. I've had the scans and they came back okay and it was a case of missing the Dundee United game and getting myself ready for tomorrow night. Hopefully, I will be fine.

There is a suggestion that the Celtic fans might be silent for a period of time tomorrow night, you grew up as a Celtic fan does that affect you at all in the stadium and does that atmosphere make a difference to you as a player?

In terms of when you are actually on the pitch, you try and block out all the noise anyway. We know the Celtic fans are the biggest help to us and you saw that when there were no fans inside the stadium. We struggled with having nobody there and no atmosphere, especially at Celtic Park. Personally, I try and block out all the noise and your full focus is on the game ahead and what you are trying to do.

Can you tell us the biggest changes you have noticed since Ange took over?

In terms of how we play, it is the intensity. Even the day after the game the boys who haven't played and when the others are recovering the intensity at training is incredible. Boys are always trying to fight for positions and get in the team. That's what makes it a good squad when the boys who aren't playing know when the training levels are so high it makes it a lot easier for everyone. Players can come in and it doesn't make a big difference going into a game.

In terms of the previous regime, how big a step up has the intensity been and have you been able to see that in the stats you get shown?

I think the way we play everybody can see it is high intensity and the pressing the forward players do especially Kyogo is unreal. His pressing is the best I have seen from a striker. The intensity and the high-speed running has definitely improved this season and had helped us a lot. Counter-attacks as well when we win the ball back it is all very fast and hopefully we can continue to do that and keep playing the same way and trust what we are doing and trust each other. Our own job is to help the team.

Is Kyogo leading the way in more ways than one?

You can see that and the press obviously starts from the striker and whatever he does the team will follow. That is very important for the way we try to play. Kyogo has been a massive part in not just attacking but defensively as well.

What sort of impact does that intensity week in/week out have on you physically and mentally as a player?

Physically it is tough but we know the intensity and high speed that we are playing at. It is hard to get used to it but with the number of games that you play you just take it in your stride. It is more enjoyable playing like this and I think everyone is loving the way we are playing right now.

The manager says it is not a dead rubber, what has his message been to you this week?

READ MORE: Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou rubbishes talk of Real Betis 'dead rubber': 'I’ve got one bad knee and I’m overweight – but I’d love to play'

The message has been the exact same. We go into every match trying to win the game, trying to play the way we want to play with the intensity we want to play at. For us, it is definitely not a dead rubber game and we are going to try to rectify what happened in Spain the last time and try and win the game.

How has it been adjusting to the manager's style of playing with a high-line and short passing out from the back, has that been difficult for you?

Everybody was adapting at the start to a completely different style to what has been in Scotland. No one has really played this style before and I think for everyone and it was tough to adapt to that style of play at first but now everybody is gelling well and we have a lot of good players in and there are a lot of good players to come. Everybody knows what their job is when they go out on the pitch.

How do you reflect on the Europa League group campaign? Are there some positives to take away too?

We are disappointed not to progress in the Europa League as we wanted to do that. We came up against top-level teams and to have European football after the New Year is something we are really looking forward to. Hopefully, we can do well in the Europa Conference League.

What quality in your own game has improved under Ange do you think?

It has to be all aspects. If I was to pick out one it has to be the passing. You need to keep the ball with the way we play and it is high risk and you need to keep the ball for the team. That is definitely an aspect that has improved. As a back four, we are more of a unit to what we were at the start of the season and everybody knows about the high-line. We are structured as well and we are not all running about going gung-ho after the ball. The shape is very structured and disciplined when we are playing like that.

The manager also said that he had a dodgy knee and was overweight and he wishes he could play in games like tomorrow night, does the boss possess a great sense of humour on the training pitch?

I have never actually seen the gaffer play so I couldn't possibly comment. He is a great coach. The intensity comes from him out on the training pitch and that feeds into how we play as a team.