Celtic must show big improvement for United cup tie, insists Samaras

Published on Sunday 4 January 2009 20:33

GEORGIOS Samaras says Celtic must get it right against Dundee United when the two sides meet again on cup duty later in the month.

Celtic surrendered a two-goal lead against Craig Levein's side in a pulsating game at Parkhead, after the Greece international had scored his 13th and 14th goals of the season to guide the champions into what appeared to be an unassailable position.

Celtic have drawn twice in the SPL against the Taysiders this season and face them again in the Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final at Hampden on 28 January, where Samaras expects improvement.

"We need to learn from our mistakes, prepare better and be ready to play them again in the cup," the striker said.

"In the first half we were the team that played the better football. But in the second half we missed second balls, gave them too much space in which to play the ball and make their runs.

"They played in our half and that meant there was a really big gap between our defenders and strikers. We gave Dundee United the opportunity to play good football and they did that."

Second-placed Rangers won at Inverness yesterday to reduce Celtic's lead over the Ibrox men to five points. But Samaras believes it is too early in the season to focus on points differentials.

"You cannot talk about seven points, eight points or ten points," the former Manchester City striker said. "You just must look at every game and try and win it.

"But it's such a strange league. You don't know what's going to happen the next second, as you saw against United. Hearts are strong, Aberdeen are always strong, so you never know where you will take points or drop points.

"But I am only interested in my team, what we do and how we keep ourselves at the top. I really don't care what the other teams do, how many goals they score and how they play."

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan, meanwhile, finds himself still embroiled in the Aiden McGeady saga.

He claimed in the post-match press conference that the omission of the Republic of Ireland winger – who was available for selection after a two-week club suspension following his spat with the Celtic manager last month but watched the match from a VIP box – was, in part, down to the SPL's under-21 rule which states that three outfield players in a club's 18-man squad should be 21 or younger.

Strachan, so exasperated by the focus on McGeady that he walked away from a pre-match radio interview, said after the match: "I stayed faithful to the players who helped us win our two previous games.

"That was the reason for Aiden not being involved – and the under-21 rule. That rule is one I've argued against since I came here."

Strachan had under-21 players Marc Crosas, Paul Caddis and Darren O'Dea listed ahead of McGeady on the substitutes' bench, but Caddis was the only one of the three that Celtic used, coming on at half-time for right-back Mark Wilson.