Opinion: Celtic talent must make every start count, even in pre-season

Celtic’s preparations for season 2022/23 really get underway in just over 24 hours time, when the Hoops take on Wiener Viktoria in a pre-season friendly in Austria.

The result of the game doesn’t really matter, as it will just be about getting players fit in the run-up to the first league game of the season at the end of the month against Aberdeen. 

However, it could be a big game for one of Celtic’s new arrivals, and that is former Dundee United goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist. The shot-stopper has arrived at Celtic Park aiming to challenge Joe Hart for the goalkeeper’s jersey, and that means that he will need to impress at every chance he gets, even when it comes to friendlies.

You have to imagine that Siegrist will feature at some stage of the game against Viktoria, and hopefully he doesn’t have a lot to do. If he does though, he will be looking to impress Ange Postecoglou.

It should be remembered that Siegrist does have something about him, as he is the only player from Scotland that the Hoops manager has signed so far in his time at the club. That shows that the Celtic boss must have been impressed by how the goalkeeper performed last season.

Siegrist will be wanting to take that form into his performances with the Hoops, even in pre-season games, which will be more important to some players than others.

There are some players in the Celtic squad who are guaranteed to be starting each game for the Bhoys if fit, such as captain Callum McGregor and the centre-back duo of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers. That is not the case with Siegrist, whose starts this season might well be few and far between, as long as Joe Hart stays fit.

That is why Siegrist has to make the most of each performance for the Hoops, even if