Celtic Skipper Urges Teammates to Support Hogh Amid Goal Drought

Callum McGregor, captain of Celtic, has called on his teammates to step up and provide more support for forward Kasper Hogh, who has been experiencing a prolonged goal drought.

Hogh, the club's record signing at £11 million, has not scored in 13 matches since netting a hat-trick on August 9. Despite providing an assist in a recent 2-2 draw against Dundee United, he was substituted at halftime.

McGregor emphasized that the responsibility lies with the entire squad to help Hogh rediscover his scoring form. "It's about trying to make the game more consistent for guys like him, the strikers, the wingers, that we can get them in the most effective areas," McGregor stated. "All strikers, they go through good spells and they go through bad spells. Sometimes you just need a goal to hit off them and then the floodgates open."

He added that the team's job is to "protect him as well and make the game as easy as it can be for him so that he can get his goals." McGregor affirmed the team's backing for Hogh, stating, "We're all in it together, we're working hard with him and we back him to get goals."

The recent draw with Dundee United highlighted broader concerns about Celtic's control in matches. McGregor acknowledged that the team struggles to maintain possession and limit counter-attacks, particularly when integrating new players. "When you get one or two new players, you have to really hone in on that," he said. "The temptation can be to do it on your own, but actually if you are giving yourself to the team, you will get goals and assists because we will get you to the right areas to go and affect the game properly."

McGregor also pointed to inconsistencies in team shape and player positioning as contributing factors to the team's up-and-down form. "It's not really having a nailed-on profile for each of the positions," he explained. "The players behave like a winger, or they behave like a striker. You can get away with it for a few games, but if it's a striker playing as a winger, you are going to get that behaviour a lot of the time."

He stressed the importance of establishing a clear team identity and maintaining control in games to achieve consistent success. "For players, you want control in games as ultimately that cuts everything else down," McGregor noted. "It'll cut running and transitions down and that is the type of team we want to be — and have been."

While acknowledging that the team has shown flashes of free-flowing, goal-scoring form, McGregor cautioned against relying on unsustainable patterns. He expressed optimism for the team's future development, stating, "There is a long way to go and a lot of games to play. The team will get better."