MORITZ JENZ, the Celtic defender, will temper his celebrations should there be a repeat of last weekend’s goalscoring exploits against Kilmarnock this afternoon.
Jenz marked his debut for the club with a game changing goal just six minutes from time at Dingwall but a quiet word regarding his celebrations as he embraced the travelling Celtic support has ensured that he will be a little more subdued if and when there is a repeat.
Already on a booking there were suggestions post-match that his moment of abandon could have come at greater cost.
“I have been warned to take care!” he said. “Last week was pure joy, pure emotion when I ran into the crowd. This time, if I have the chance to score the goal I will be more settled. If I’m honest I didn’t think about the consequences because it was pure joy.
“It was my first game and I had the adrenaline to play in front of our supporters. When the goal happened in front of them I think anyone would have the same feeling of wanting to jump straight into the crowd to celebrate with our fans; it’s just normal instinct.”
The instinct of his new club is a hunt for three points in every outing. It will be no different this afternoon as Celtic head to Rugby Park, a ground that has thrown up a few last gasp winning goals in recent seasons in favour of the Parkhead side.
Ange Postecoglou’s preference would be for a more routine delivering of the points as Celtic look to sustain their unbeaten start to the league campaign although Kilmarnock will look to make life as awkward as possible this afternoon for the reigning champions.
“Of course we expect them to be difficult, to be very defensive and try to hit us on the counter,” said Jenz, who could start again with a late decision expected on Stephen Welsh. “But we will play our game like always. We will be patient, we will be attacking football and we ill put a lot of pressure on them and try to take our chances.
“Patience will be so important. It was the same last weekend and we will need it in every game.
We will have a lot of the ball but we must take our time and be clinical when the chances come our way.”
Signed on a season long loan from Lorient, Jenz is keen to make a sufficient impression this season that will encourage Celtic to trigger their right to buy at the end of the season.
“Personally, I want to play consistently on a high level and improve as a player,” he said. “I also want to be a part of Celtic for the long-term. I know Cameron [Carter Vickers] did something similar last season with the loan.
“We have been training together but that was our first time on the park. We have a good relationship, he is a fantastic guy and I really enjoyed playing with him. Let’s see what happens in the long term.
“Our style is perfect for me and I’m really happy here. We have develop step by step and hopefully that will me get to my highest level.
“We have a lot of good centre-backs and that type of competition is normal at a big club. It’s good for me, it’s good for my team-mates to keep pushing ourselves and going to our limits.
That will make us better as a team and individuals.
“That’s the way I want to play, to step into midfield and pick the passes to be very high to regain the ball when we lose it. It’s the perfect way for the centre-backs we have at the club and it suits the whole team.”
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