ARNE ENGELS piled on the misery for future opposition when Celtic’s £11million man warned the team is determined to IMPROVE for in the silverware run-in to the season.
The classy Belgian midfielder netted a double – one from the penalty spot which claimed the 100th Hoops’ goal of the campaign – in the 6-0 demolition of Dundee at Parkhead last night.
Engels also produced one of the passes of an illuminating and chilly winter’s evening in the east end of Glasgow when he set up Daizen Maeda for a delightful lob that brought the Japanese ace his second and the team’s fourth goal on their way to a 13-point lead at the top of the Premiership as they zero in on their fourth successive title.
ON THE MARCH…Arne Engels celebrates one of his nine Celtic goals.
The Premier Sports League Cup has already been won, Championship side Raith Rovers are next up in the Scottish Cup at Parkhead on Saturday evening and only an inexplicable nosedive in form and fortunes will prevent the crown being presented to the Hoops for the thirteenth time in 14 years and their 55th flag in their glorious history.
But the 21-year-old international playmaker, prised from Bundesliga outfit Augsburg for a record fee on deadline day in August last year, insists there is still much work to do.
Quizzed about the team still looking for improvement, Engels answered: “Yeah, 100 per cent. Every game we are learning and picking things up what we need to improve.
“We have an amazing squad of people who want to improve every week and every day.
“You see it in our performance, that it’s only getting better and better every time. And that we are trying to make a machine.
“So, yeah, we are in a good way. The season is not over, so we are trying to improve every game.”
HIGH AND MIGHTY…Arne Engels (centre) watches his long-range drive hammer past Dundee keeper Trevor Carson for Celtic’s fifth during the six-goal rampage.
Engels claimed his eighth goal of the term and the Hoops’ ton with the opening strike from the penalty spot and he added his ninth after the turnaround with a 30-yard effort that flew high past Trevor Carson.
The gifted middle-of-the-park performer, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “I’m always there to grab another goal or produce something.
“That’s why I wanted also to come here to Celtic, it’s the mindset of winning and keep on going even it’s 4-0 or something – just to destroy teams.
“And that’s what I really like from mentality-wise here, that everybody has the same mindset and same way of thinking here and I really love it.
“We are evolving a lot. Also defensive-wise, we stepped up a lot in a few months. We are more stable, I think, than in the beginning.
“And that you see also in the in the performance, like against Dundee, we are really sharp in defence and trying to get that zero. Kasper is always talking about it – keeping the clean sheet.
“So we are also really happy for him to help him with that.”
HOOP HOOP HOORAY…Arne Engels is congratulated by Auston Trusty, Greg Taylor and Nicolas Kuhn after his second strike against the Dens Parkers.
Following Raith Rovers at the weekend, Celtic will turn their attention once again to the Champions League when Bayern Munich visit on Wednesday night in the first leg of the play-offs.
Engels, as ever, is ready to give it his best shot and added: “I think we can cause every team problems. We showed it already in Champions League, that we can do it against every team.
“But the next game is in the weekend, so that’s our main focus now.
“We want to win everything and that’s why we are really good at this season, to keep on doing every game by itself.
“Not looking forward in the next two weeks or something, just game by game.”
