New recruits, the impact of a new manager and the style of play Celtic have adopted as a result are creating an environment that players are bound to revel in according to the centre back who is becoming an influential figure within the squad.
As his team negotiated the biggest match they have played since he joined them last month the way in which Erik Sviatchenko asserted himself in combination with the much more experienced Kolo Toure was critical to holding on for the result which saw them return to the Champions League group stages after a two year absence.
However the player who was recruited earlier this year by fellow Scandinavian Ronnie Deila believes he is part of a squad that has been steadily strengthened and has grown in confidence as a result thanks to the arrival of the Norwegian’s successor Brendan Rodgers.
Read more: Erik advises Celtic colleague Jozo to use perceived 'defeat' for motivation
“The squad is much stronger,” was his assessment of how things stand the day after the transfer window closed.
“We signed five players – Kolo Toure, Scott Sinclair, Moussa Dembele, Cristian Gamboa and Dorus de Vries – so I would say those kind of signings are a sign of massive things. Being in a squad where we have these quality players, well, I am really happy with that.
Read more: Martin O'Neill tells Brendan Rodgers to savour the 'glorious intensity' of Celtic
“You can attract those kind of players also because of the connection with the manager and that is a positive thing. Also, the playing style we are showing at this stage. We are also in the Champions League which is an attractive thing, but the other thing is how we are playing. We have been scoring a lot of goals, we have been attacking and we have been all over the place.
“That is the football that you want to be playing. As a defender being on the front-foot and trying to intercept that ball is something you want to be playing.
“In general it attracts players and you see five of those players coming here. I think they would say the same thing.”
Sviatchenko admitted that the transfer window can be an unsettling time for players, in turn seeming to suggest that all of those involved can now draw additional confidence from knowing what the immediate future has in store.
“It’s only in football where you can have this strange feeling of being there one day and then the next you will be gone. You just accept that it happens in our game,” he observed.
“You have one road with the market and one road with football and training and you have to adapt and not think about it too much.”
“It’s always good when you find yourself here after a window.”
That last observation was offered with a smile since there was little chance of Sviatchenko going anywhere this time around, but he knows the impact speculation and negotiation can have and consequently has understanding of how difficult a day August 31 must have been for clubmate Jozo Simunovic.
While Rodgers has been keen down to pare down a squad that had become unwieldy in numerical terms, the breakdown of the Dane’s fellow central defender’s proposed move to Torino can, of course, be a positive if he is now fully fit and ready to compete for a place.
The Croatian has sought to address concerns about supporters’ possible reaction to the fact that he was so close to departing but Sviatchenko believes he should have nothing to fear on that score.
“Of course they will be beside him, they need to be,” he said.
“He is a guy who showed his skills before his injury and now he is returning to fitness again and now is the time to back the player up. That will be the case.”
He added that colleagues can play a part in offering reassurance, albeit he said the onus has to be on the individual to react the right way.
“We have a duty to help but it is also down to the player,” said Sviatchenko.
“Some players are really open and others would rather keep it to themselves.
“We have to respect that. Lots of players experience this and it’s part of the football game that it can be a time of uncertainty for players.
“At the end you have a contract and you have to respect the deal you have signed and you have to work 100%.
“I haven’t spoken to him yet but when he is back everyone will say, ‘OK, Jozo, it is time to move one.’ He will know that. He is a professional player and a really good guy.”
Sviatchenko also indicated that the atmosphere they are working in under Rodgers should ensure that the enthusiasm levels of every squad member remains high.
“I have been very impressed,” he said.
“The motivation that he brings into the club is great.
“When you start training sessions he goes through it but every session is different. I can't remember a session that has been a similar one.
“That is a positive thing. Football can be boring in the sense that you need to do certain things but at this stage he brings in some really nice motivational plays and it is all positive.”
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