Neil Lennon bans Barça talk as focus turns to Tannadice

Published on 01/11/2012 00:00

Celtic manager Neil Lennon is banning all talk of Barcelona ahead of the trip to Dundee United on Sunday. Parkhead will be packed to the rafters next Wednesday night when the Catalan superstars arrive for their Champions League Group G clash with the Hoops.

Celtic’s narrow 2-1 defeat in the Nou Camp last week is still fresh in the mind, but the Northern Irishman wants all the attention to be on the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and the game against United.

After watching his side book a place in the Scottish Communities League Cup semi-finals last night with a 5-0 home thumping of St Johnstone, Lennon said: “We have three or four days before we play Dundee United and that is our main focus. 
Barcelona is coming up next week but I don’t want to talk about that until after Dundee United on Sunday.

“Before last night’s game I said to the players that last week they were well motivated, in a nice climate, going out at the Nou Camp. It was different [against St Johnstone], maybe 15,000 to 20,000 people there, but I said their attitude had to be the same and I got that.”

Indeed, Lennon witnessed his side return to top form against a Saints side whose eight-game unbeaten run come to an abrupt end. Midfielder Kris Commons was credited with a hat-trick, 
although his first goal came when his shot took a deflection off St Johnstone midfielder Liam Craig. Further goals from Gary Hooper and Charlie Mulgrew gave a true reflection of the gulf between the sides on the night.

Lennon, who will monitor the hamstring complaint Hooper picked up, praised his side for bouncing back from the 2-0 SPL defeat by Kilmarnock at the weekend with special words of encouragement for Commons.

He said: “Kris wasn’t at his best at weekend but he gave me the response I asked for. That typified his season. He was bright, alert, his passing was quality and he has always been a good finisher so that will do him the world of good. It was dominant performance and one that I wanted. The ones who played 
on Saturday knew that they had fallen below the standards they set themselves. We have moved on from the weekend but I 
will be demanding more as the season goes on.”

Commons looked a bit sheepish as he discussed his hat-trick but he was more confident when claiming Celtic returned to the sort of form which should alert every team in the SPL. He said: “After that performance [against Killie], we had a lot to prove. Work ethic had a big part in it, we went back to basics, moving the ball quickly – everything that was missing on 
Saturday we put in. It was all about getting as many goals as we can because we know are capable of scoring five or six against any team in this league.”