Nicolas Kuhn on how Celtic squad thrives with competition for places

Nicolas Kuhn relished his place in Celtic's starting line-up against Aberdeen at Hampden last weekend, in what was the winger's first experience of a cup tie at Scotland's National Stadium.

Throw a goal into the mix – Celtic's equaliser on 21 minutes after his side had conceded to a fine Bojan Miovski strike early on – not to mention the drama of a penalty shootout wherein his own goalkeeper missed and saved from the spot to win the match, and this was hardly a normal day at the office for the 24-year-old.

As you might expect, the German midfielder was delighted with his personal contribution on the day, despite being less enthused by the afternoon's rollercoaster ending.

Nevertheless, he believes the emotions of such a thrilling experience in the Scottish Cup semi-final can be harnessed during the final stretch of Celtic fixtures.

"There have been some really nice experiences in the last few weeks," said Kuhn. "As a footballer, these are the games you want. "It was a nice experience for me at Ibrox and at Hampden, [but] it was not nice watching the penalties! At the end we came through, and that was the most important thing.

"I think it was a big moment for the team and it said a lot about the mentality. This can bring us even closer together.

"We will see in the next few weeks."

READ MORE: Brendan Rodgers sees funny side to unseen Celtic moment

From a personal standpoint, Kuhn is pleased with the progress he's made since joining Celtic in January, having been subbed off against Aberdeen in the 86th minute for Luis Palma.

On the opposite side of the pitch, it was fellow starter Yang Hyun-Jun who made way for James Forrest after 62 minutes, with the veteran midfielder then finding the back of the net less than two minutes later.

For Kuhn, this perfectly underlines not only the strength of the wider Celtic squad, but also how pressure for places helps Celtic thrive and is always driving the team on as a whole.

And while this may be nothing new in the scope of world football, nor how Celtic has always operated under Brendan Rodgers, it does highlight the importance of older heads combining with players who are perhaps less familiar with the abiding standards and expectations at a club of Celtic's stature at this stage in the season.

"[James] is really nice," Kuhn added. "There have been some moments when he wasn’t in the squad but he is always working hard and gives everything in training.

"I was happy for him coming on and scoring a good goal. You need these leading figures in the dressing room. We have others like Joe Hart and Callum McGregor as well.

"It is really important for the younger boys."

Not that Kuhn himself doesn't have his own high-pressure experiences to pull on as Celtic stare down what is surely their most important run of games this campaign.

Having won silverware with Ajax at under-21 level, and having stepped up to first-team training during the Dutch outfit's 2018/19 Eredivisie-winning campaign – the same season Erik Ten Hag's men were eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur during the UEFA Champions League semi-final – Kuhn well understands handling pressure in the pursuit of success.

"I was also at Bayern when the second team won the Third Division and the senior side won the Bundesliga," Kuhn added. "It is good to be around these things and I experienced a lot. You learn from being part of it and watching others.

“It’s good to know how to get a title over the line. Also you see that when things are not going your way – like we had a few weeks ago – then it’s important to stay calm and not stress too much. That was what we did and now we are in a good position.

"Competition for places is always what makes a good team. For the players in the starting line-up, you always have pressure from behind.

"Everyone wants to play. When it comes to the games, we need to be a team and be on the same page.

"We’ve done that quite well in the past few weeks and I hope it continues."

READ MORE: Why Liam Scales thinks Celtic are 'in the driving seat'

Echoing the sentiments of his manager and team-mates in the immediate wake of last week's semi-final win over Aberdeen, Kuhn is now laser-focused on Celtic's next game: Dundee at Den's Park this Sunday at 3pm.

With a full week's worth of training under their belts, Kuhn is confident he and his colleagues have recovered physically and mentally from their high-drama Hampden heroics, and they're now turning their collective attention to their next hurdle.

Kuhn added: "We are excited for the next few weeks. There are some very big games ahead but the focus is on the next one against Dundee.

"Of course there is pressure. We had pressure when we were not in first place but now everything is in our hands. We focus on every game that is coming."

"I think it was important [to have a full week of training ]after the game at Hampden last weekend. Everyone had to calm down a little bit. We’ve had a chance to rest and focus on the next match."

"We just need to focus on ourselves and play our style of football."

As for personal pressure, Kuhn remains as calm today as he was when first walking through the door at Celtic Park just over three months ago.

"That’s football," he said. "I know we have good quality in the team. We just need to keep focusing on ourselves."