csconstantine.com

{ CELTIC midfielder Beram Kayal believes his club are poised for a lengthy spell of domestic dominance if Neil Lennon's longer term future as manager is secured.Lennon is out of contract this summer with the offer of a new deal understood to be dependent on Celtic winning the Scottish Premier League title this season.

Sunday's 3-0 defeat of Rangers at Celtic Park left Lennon's team eight points clear of the defending champions, who have two games in hand, and has seen their odds on lifting the trophy shorten to as little as 1-3 with some bookmakers.

Kayal, one of a raft of new signings Lennon has gradually moulded into an effective unit over the course of the campaign, has no doubt the manager has already proved himself worthy of an extended tenure.

The 22-year-old Israeli international has emerged as a key performer in a squad he says are committed to bringing sustained success to Celtic over the next few seasons.

"The manager has made this team and it's fantastic," said Kayal.

"Sometimes people forget this is a new team, we have brought in 13 or 14 new players this season. But the team has gelled together very quickly and I think it is because of the manager.

"We are a very young team and if you look at us, then we could be playing together at Celtic for the next three or four years. The manager has built it, so hopefully it's the same for him.

"We have good young players and a good manager. He makes us all feel special, and we all try 100 per cent for him. Together we could have good success. I am learning from him every day in training and all the players feel the same. We have a lot of talent but the manager pushes us
every day and that's why we are a strong team."

Celtic stretched their current unbeaten run to 17 matches on Sunday, 12 of them victories, and remain in pursuit of all three domestic trophies.

They face Rangers in the Scottish Cup fifth-round replay at Celtic Park next Wednesday and will take on their great rivals again in the Co-operative Insurance Cup final at Hamdpen on 20 March.

The form of several of Lennon's recruits during the undefeated sequence, including Kayal, Honduran left-back Emilio Izaguirre and striker Gary Hooper, has attracted growing attention from English Premier League clubs. Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, who attended Sunday's Old Firm game, is the latest to be credited with an interest in Izaguirre. Kayal, however, believes there is a collective desire among the Celtic squad to remain part of a potentially exciting era for the club.

"I am here and happy at Celtic," added Kayal. "I have a long contract and I want to stay here. Really, I feel at home.

"I feel I could play here for the next five or six years with the manager and these players. Great credit must go to the manager for putting us all together and making us feel we have been playing together for years.

"Every day, every game, everyone here wants to play better and we try every game to continue our good form. I think I will learn more here than anywhere else.

"I am learning English and football, so it's fantastic for me to stay here.

"This club has so many talented players. But, not only that, every player really believes we are going to win every game. It is too early to say whether we can win every game until the end of the season, but we will try to do that.

"Rangers are a good team as well, but our manager has given us confidence.

"We are together and push each other to win.

"I don't think we are favourites to win the league yet.

" I was very happy we beat Rangers on Sunday, but we have to give respect to the other teams as well and make sure we focus just as much on every game we play."

Kayal limped out of the Old Firm showdown after 61 minutes with a hamstring strain but is confident it will not force him to miss any matches.

He is suspended for Celtic's next SPL fixture, against Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday, in any case.

Agences de presses

Labels: Beram, Celtic, future, happy, Kayal, Lennon, Scotsman

{ Celtic's Scott Brown and Beram Kayal engage with El Hadji Diouf of Rangers
Midfielder Beram Kayal insists Celtic are not favourites to win the Scottish Premier League this year, despite moving eight points clear of Rangers.

After Celtic's 3-0 Old Firm win, Kayal said on Monday: "We're not favourites. We must win every game because Celtic is a big club. I like it like that.

"All the focus for everyone here is to try to play better in every game.

"I am very happy because yesterday we won but the next game on Sunday is not against Rangers."

Kayal has become a fans' favourite with his combative nature allied to his range of passing and positional sense.

His manager, Neil Lennon, has also recently highlighted the former Maccabi Haifa star's workrate.

The player says he enjoyed appearing in Celtic's 3-0 win over Rangers and credits Lennon for forging an impressive team spirit.

"All of Europe speaks about this derby," he said of the Old Firm match.

"It was my dream to play in this game and I am happy because I played in it."

And of the team manager, Kayal said: "He makes us all feel special, and we all try 100% for him.

"At the beginning of the season the majority were new players. A great credit must go to the manager for putting us all together and make us feel we have been playing together for years.

"Every day, every game, everyone here wants to play better and we try every game to continue (the form) this month because last month everyone played very well."

Kayal is suspended for Celtic's match on Sunday at Motherwell but in the meantime he will try to recover from a hamstring strain, which he predicted would heal in the next three or four days.

The Israeli was out of action earlier in the season with a groin injury and is delighted to get back playing in front of the club's fans.

He said: "It's fantastic to come back after two months out injured. It's a new country and the fans give me the drive and energy all the time.

The manager told us to enjoy it and, basically, win. He didn't want anything less and we showed that
Gary Hooper reflects on Celtic's 3-0 Old Firm win

For Gary Hooper, who scored twice in the first half in Sunday's win and was described by Kayal as "fantastic", self-belief is the key behind the team's run of 17 games unbeaten.

Rangers emerged with a 3-1 win at Celtic Park in October but their old rivals won at Ibrox at New Year, before the teams drew 2-2 at the same ground in the Scottish Cup.

With the Cup game producing a replay, and the teams' meeting at Hampden in the final of the Co-operative Insurance Cup on 20 March, it means the Old Firm will play seven times this season and Celtic will enjoy the greater confidence going into their next contest.

Asked what had changed since the home defeat by Rangers in the autumn, Hooper said: "We showed with this performance that our mental strength is really good, we are performing well and everybody is comfortable on the ball.

"Maybe we are just more confident. Not much has changed so maybe we just believe in ourselves more now.

"We are performing well and we have shown that for the last few months."

Like Kayal, Hooper refuses to write off Celtic's title rivals' chances, with Rangers second and Hearts in third, 10 points behind.

"I'm not focused on the trophy," said the striker.

"The main thing was to win the game and to carry on winning games and see what happens. There is confidence everywhere.

"We are not thinking about the championship, we are just focusing on the three points.

"We are eight points clear now and if we just keep on winning, we can put more pressure on them.

"The manager told us to enjoy it and, basically, win. He didn't want anything less and we showed that."

Agences de presses

Labels: Celtic, dismisses, Kayal, title