Celtic’s man of the moment and well on his way to being our player of the year is of course our talented German winger Nicolas Kuhn…
A double yesterday against St Mirren increased Kuhn’s total for the season to 16 goals scored and 13 assists as Celtic are reportedly set to offer the winger a new and improved contract amid growing interest in Kuhn. He could turn out to be the next big money departure from Celtic but hopefully not for a few more seasons.
While much of the attention has been focused on Brendan Rodgers’ somewhat explosive post match media conference, Nicolas Kuhn also spoke to the media. Here’s what happened…
Q: Nicolas, how’s the nose and the eyes? Didn’t seem to affect you today?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, still a little bit dizzy, but yeah, it’s going to be fine.”
Q: What did you make of your performance and the team’s performance out there?
Nicolas Kuhn: “I think we had a strong reaction after the last game, and that’s what we did, and I’m happy that we got the three points.”
Q: Two more goals for you. Just talk to us about your form at the moment…
Nicolas Kuhn: “The last game was not too good, but I’m glad that I keep going where I finished last year.”
Q: Do you feel that you and the team had to, not prove a point, but put something right after the performance at Ibrox a few days ago?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, 100 per cent, and I think we did that today, and now we will focus on the next game.”
Q: How important was that to make sure you’re back to winning ways straight away after such a strange game the other day?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Really important. I think we were not used to losing, and no, we did much better.We scored some goals, and yeah, happy with the three points.”
Q: What was the feeling afterwards? Were you maybe confused where that came from? Because your form as a team has been so high for so long. It was such a kind of strange, bad day at the office, wasn’t it?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, 100 per cent. It was not enough from everyone, and yeah, we had to show a reaction.”
Q: Is that a good reminder for yourselves, that you have to keep your level at the highest, or you will trip up sometimes?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yes, we always have to be 100 per cent, and that was a lesson for us against Dortmund, and I’m glad that we showed a reaction.”
Q: The response was so good after Dortmund. Was that obviously what you were aiming for again? Did you speak about how you responded to that result this week?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, I think that was just not us, and today we did much better, and we want to keep going in the next games.
Q: Did the nose issue come from theRangers game?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yes.”
Q: Some people thought that could have been more than a yellow card?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, I’m not the VAR, but yeah.”
Q: There was also a kick. There was a kick on you, and then you got an elbow?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, there was also a kick, but yeah, as we said, it was not our best game. The situation, I don’t decide, and we have to keep going.”
Q: Were you surprised that the referee did not take more action?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Actually, I didn’t realise what happened, so afterwards I didn’t know if it was yellow or anything else, so that’s not the most important. The most important was that we showed a reaction today, and now we focus on the next game.”
Q: You have the good old-fashioned black eyes? Did you wake up with your eyes closed?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, it’s a little bit painful, but we’ll be fine.”
Q: That’s what I’m saying, but did the result maybe hurt more than the nose?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, it was more painful.”
Q: Have you had a better season than this when you played first-team football for a club?
Nicolas Kuhn: “No, I think that’s the best, but it’s also the best team I’ve played in yet. All the teammates, the staff make it a lot easier for me, and I’m just happy to be here.”
Q: What can you achieve this season, Nicolas? Obviously, you know what the team can achieve, but you personally, I think, is it 16 goals you’re on now? So what can you get to, what number can you hit?
Nicolas Kuhn: “I’m not so focused on the numbers, we just have to perform well, and that’s what I try to do. For me, the most important is to stay fit, that’s what I always said, and at the end, it’s about winning trophies, and I’m not so focused on the numbers.”
Q: Why do you feel that your confidence has kicked in here? What’s changed for you this season?
Nicolas Kuhn: “I think it’s just the surroundings. I feel really good, I’m happy to be here, and as I said, everyone makes it easy for me, and I’m just enjoying to play.
Q: You say you’re happy to be here, can you see yourself here for many more years to come?
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, I have a long contract.”
Q: Did you know the result from theRangers game this afternoon before today for the kick-off?
Nicolas Kuhn: “No, we heard afterwards, but we have to focus on our game, and for us, it was the most important to get the three points, and now we have already a game in three days.”
Q: Is there a determination to make sure that what happened at Ibrox will not happen again between now and the end of the season?
Nicolas Kuhn: “We don’t want that to happen again, so we just have to keep working and be 100 per cent in every game. It doesn’t matter if it’s (the)Rangers or anyone else.”
Q: The gap advantage at the top is now wider than it was before Christmas, you have a 13-point lead…
Nicolas Kuhn: “Yeah, we just keep going and we just have to win our games, and as long as we do that, everything’s good.”
