Liam Scales believes Martin O'Neill has rediscovered his spark after Celtic ended their three-game winless run with a 2-0 victory at Fir Park. The result restored the Hoops' two-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Just three weeks after O'Neill was reportedly on the verge of quitting, Celtic swept Motherwell aside with the hunger and intensity that had been missing in defeats to Rangers and Ferencvaros. Cameron Carter-Vickers had claimed the team lacked clarity, but against Motherwell they played with a clear identity on the front foot.
Clear-the-air meeting pays off
Scales revealed that a meeting after the international break helped reignite the squad's belief. "Yes, definitely. We all got back last week and had a meeting. We went through all our principles and how we want to be. You could tell how excited he was for this next spell of games," he said.
"We were looking at clips of where we've been at our best and that really excites him and the coaches. We know where we can get to as well. It's just a case of doing it now."
Internationals boost confidence
Camilo Duran opened the scoring with a superb strike, while Mika Baur impressed in midfield. Both summer recruits returned from international duty after making their debuts for Colombia and Germany respectively.
"I feel players went away and enjoyed their couple of weeks and have come back with more confidence. I felt that was noticeable on Sunday," Scales said. "We have young lads making their debuts for teams like Germany and Colombia which is incredible. So I think the break boosted the mood, and it was needed."
Clean sheet and Jota return
Benjamin Nygren sealed the win after the break, and the clean sheet was just as encouraging. Viljami Sinisalo had only two saves to make on his birthday. Dane Murray deputised for the injured Carter-Vickers alongside Scales, who praised the 23-year-old's attributes.
Jota also made his eagerly awaited return after 533 days out, marking his comeback with his 100th appearance for the club. "It's great. He's obviously shown how good he is over the two spells here. We have missed him for a long time," Scales added.
Celtic now face a crucial spell, with Benfica and Hearts up next this week, and must prove their Fir Park revival was no false dawn when they travel to Lisbon on Thursday.
