To play at Celtic, you must be ready to cope with the demands of winning every game, every week, regardless of the opposition.
That pressure has been at the club for over 125 years and will be so for the next 125 years. It’s part and parcel of being at Scotland’s most successful football club.
And it is something that South Korean winger, Hyunjun Yang, admits is something he has never felt before.
Yang said, [Sunday Mail print edition page 51], “I can imagine what the atmosphere will be like this week. Even for league games, it’s unbelievable with so many supporters in the stadium.
“At Celtic you have to win every game. I’ve never experienced that feeling before.
“But we can set that goal because we are champions.”
Hyunjun Yang will need to adapt to be successful at Celtic
As Yang admits, Celtic have set the bar very high due to their unprecedented domestic success. Trebles, unbeaten runs and Invincibles season have become the norm for the club and it’s supporters in Celtic’s most recent history.
That is why the demand is there to win every week. Labelled as one of the hottest talents to come out of Korea by Jurgen Klinsmann, Yang will need to learn, and quickly, that life at Celtic comes at you fast.
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Against Motherwell yesterday, Yang frustrated me with his first-half performance. For all his hard work and endeavour, the tricky winger never really penetrated The Steelmen’s defence before being hooked at half-time for James Forrest.
If he can’t improve on that then he will quickly learn that he will lose that coveted starting spot to other players who are desperate to get into the side. Just look at what Luis Palma did when he came on.
He scored the vital opening goal in the 2-1 win and could now have forced his way into Brendan Rodgers’ plans against Lazio. That’s the kind of impact Yang must start making now.
It’s little wonder he’s feeling the pressure right now. Let’s hope he can handle it.
In other news, Barry Ferguson says Celtic would be ‘crazy’ not to try and sign £25m ‘difference-maker’