Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers praises Scales' 'mentality'

With the result in midweek, is it just about putting that to bed as quickly as possible?

Yeah, I think so. Disappointed to lose the game and lose it by that many goals. We’ve looked back it as a team and we’ve worked out what we need to do better. Now it’s all about the weekend.

Is it an easier one to put to bed, just by the fact that you did go down to 10 men early and that it was a real quality side you were up against?

Yes and no. I think anytime you get beat by six it’s frustrating. I know we conceded the early goal but I think with 11 men we were competing fairly well and the sending off changes that and makes it harder for us. I still think at that point down to 10 men we probably could have done a bit more as a team to limit the amount of goals that they scored.

The big thing now is to not let it linger, with a big opportunity on Sunday to go and get another three points in the league?

100 per cent. During this period through we’ve been playing every three to four days. It’s something that we’ve learned to do, and it’s something as a team we do pretty well.

How are you feeling fitness-wise? You’ve worked your way back into the side, are you feeling fully up to speed now?

I feel good. I think you can always get fitter and improve but I’m feeling good.

READ MORE: Celtic's defensive performance vs Atletico Madrid dissected

Because there are so many games at the moment, do you feel you need to manage your load a bit at the moment, or do you feel you can go at your maximum?

Every time I play I give it 100 percent and give it my maximum. Managing the load is discussed by the physio team that we have here. If they make a decision and they think something is best for me then all I can do is follow that. When I’m out there, I feel good.

You talk about learning from games like Atletico. What do the players learn from a game like that?

I think there’s a lot to learn. The first thing is going down to 10 men, I think we know at that level that it’s almost as good as game over, especially when you’re already down by one goal. Once we went down to 10 men, it’s about making some structural changes in the team and having to play in a different way than we’re used to, to try and limit the chances that they get. It’s difficult, they are a top-quality side and I think a lot of their goals we were in a fairly decent shape but it was their quality and us making small errors, which allowed them to score the goals with their quality.

How do you feel clubs like Celtic can get closer to teams like Atletico?

It’s difficult. The more we can be exposed to that level of opposition, the better we’ll get. I think it takes time, it’s just about getting into the Champions League and exposing yourself to that label of opposition, then you’ll grow and learn from the experiences. Eventually you can compete and win games.

Is that a thing, to continually come up against these guys to bridge that gap?

I think that’s all you can do. You’ve got to focus on being in the Champions League first, then once you’re there you try and do better than last year. That’s all you can really do.

Can you use that kind of feeling that you had, the hurt of the defeat to drive you on? Is that an important part of getting over it, to use it as a positive?

You can do. Every individual player is different with stuff like that. There are certainly some players in our team who can use that emotion from the game on Tuesday night and take it into Sunday. For me personally, I’m frustrated for 24 hours, then we recap the game and look at it to see what we could have done better and then just move on. I think that’s more of an individual thing.

For you then, do you just want to get back out there and play? Is that how you move on?

Regardless, if you get a positive or negative result on Tuesday night, we’d of been looking to go against Aberdeen on Sunday and win the game. The result on Tuesday is no consequence of what we want to do on Sunday.

READ MORE: Celtic are a fallen giant due to boards lack of ambition - Haggerty

How do the players ensure that a heavy defeat like that does not affect them going forward?

You are emotional about it for 24 hours or so but then you have to look at it with a clear head and unemotionally you have to break it down and see what you could do better. After that, you just have to move on as that is the way football works. A schedule like ours where you are playing every three or four days whether it is a positive or negative result you can't spend too long dwelling over it and that's what we do.

Can I ask you about Liam Scales? He is a player who has admitted himself that he was not even sure that he would be at the club this season. He has really stepped up to the plate, hasn't he? How impressed have you been with his progress in the first few months of the season? 

Liam has done really well. I think from the mentality that he went to Aberdeen last season and probably did think he wasn't going to be at Celtic this season. However from day one in pre-season he came in and worked hard and he's been ready. He's waited on his opportunity and he has taken it and he is playing really well. 

That could be a big part of a player's development, they might have the quality but they also need that mentality to be thrown in at the deep end and to show that they are more than capable of doing the job, isn't that right?

That's the most impressive thing about it in my opinion. The fact that three or four months ago he maybe thought that his Celtic career was over and now he's got his chance and he showed that he was mentally ready to take it and mentally ready to perform at the levels that he has.

There was a contentious VAR decision on Tuesday night. How do the players here feel about the way the system is deployed?

I can only talk for myself, but the red card is soft. I mean I am not going to complain about it as there are decisions in every game where some go in your favour and some don't. It is just part of football.

Do you still believe this technology is good for the game?

I think the technology is good for the game. I think maybe the way it is applied in certain instances the referee could have done a better job implementing it but I still think the technology is a good thing for the game.

After a defeat like that, I know a lot of players say they are not on social media, but it must be difficult to steer clear of any social media information leaking in and if it does how do you help players around you when it comes to mentality? Does it have a big impact on them with the fans' overreactions sometimes on social media?

I don't see a lot of social media and stuff like that to be honest. It's hard for me to kind of say. I think one thing we are good at here as a group is getting that energy back up. It's natural after a loss like that everybody is a bit flat and a bit down. After you have got over that initial emotion the key thing is to bring the energy levels back up on the training ground and refocus for your next game as quickly as possible.

READ MORE: Celtic's Brendan Rodgers says Maeda will be a 'big miss'

When you are playing in the game you can always prepare for getting a red card, but can you prepare for the deflation when you lose a player like Daizen Maeda so early on? How can you prepare for that, if at all?

It is difficult. I think I touched upon it before I think we did go down to ten men we probably could have dealt with it a bit better. I think that is something, especially, against that level of opposition that we haven't experienced much as a group. That's part of the reason why as well. It is hard enough playing against Atletico Madrid with eleven men but when you go down ten men it is super difficult but you have just got to try and stick in there as best as you can and I think we could have done a better job at. 

On a positive note, you were handed the armband by Callum McGregor during the Ross County game. How does it feel to be trusted by the gaffer and to be handed the captaincy?

It is nice and it is a great feeling for me. To know that the management here has that trust in me for when Callum is not on the pitch to take over that responsibility. For me, whenever Callum does go off I think it is just about continuing to focus on what I am doing and if I can help the people around me as well.