Add as preferred source on Google
Viljami Sinisalo has clarified Kasper Schmeichel’s background role at Celtic.
Schmeichel’s devastating injury blow in March put his very career at risk, all-but ensuring that he has played his last game for Celtic.
In his absence, Sinisalo has emerged as the first choice for Martin O’Neill. The injured Dane has been seen all over the UK since his injury, drawing criticism for his lack of visibility in Glasgow.
But Sinisalo is clear: the support from Schmeichel remains.
Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images
Viljami Sinisalo: Kasper Schmeichel support has always been there at Celtic
Asked if he is still in regular contact with Schmeichel, Sinisalo said: “Very much. I’ve tried to support him as much as I can while he’s been in the team and it’s no different when it’s the other way.
“We’re good teammates, like every single teammate in that changing room is. We want the best for each other. It’s always been that support and that’ll never change.
READ MORE: Celtic ‘begin negotiations’ with Aaron Malouda, son of ex-Chelsea winger
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
“I’ve been so lucky in my career to work with brilliant goalkeepers.
“You learn a lot from each of them. You try to take bits and pieces from everyone, whether it’s Kasper or Lukasz Hradecki for Finland or Emi Martinez at Aston Villa.
“You try and take bits and pieces from everyone and try to mould yourself into what you want to be as a goalie.
“If you take from Emi, you probably look at his sheer presence and how he holds himself and just the way he goes about things.
“I’m not saying I’ll do the same things in certain situations that he would. But he walks six foot five tall and you can see the presence around him.
“And that’s such a big part of goalkeeping, the presence, because people look at you and think whether you’ve got that or not. And your defenders think, yeah, I’ve got someone behind me. So someone like him, who’s obviously got that, it just breeds a lot of confidence into the side.”
Should Celtic keep the trend going this summer?
Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
On this weekend’s Glasgow Derby, Sinisalo said: “Obviously, these games are difficult. You’ve just got to try and show that personality, stay calm. Whatever happens in the game, things might go against you early on, things might go really well.
“But for that 90-odd minutes, you’ve got to be very calm and level-headed. I’ve always been a big advocate for thinking about, ‘I’ve done this my whole life’.
“You want to be in these situations. It’s a privilege to be in such a high pressure moment. It’s what I’ve grown up loving to do. So why would you kind of go away from that and not show your own personality within the biggest of moments?
“Even if you get a bit nervous, that’s the thought process that then gets you back to that real calm state of mind. It’s also trying to be that calming presence on my own teammates because I think if I can do that, I can help my teammates to be even better.
“And that’s very much how I see the game in general. I want to make the players around me better. So that’s the biggest compliment.”
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
