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Ebullient Strachan says playmaker tops list of those he’s worked with
GORDON Strachan savoured his second successive championship triumph last night with a salute to the man who clinched it in stoppage time at Rugby Park.
The Celtic manager hailed Shunsuke Nakamura, the Japanese playmaker whose stunning free-kick snatched the 2-1 win over Kilmarnock which finally took the reigning champions over the finishing line in this season’s competition, as a “genius” and the most technically proficient footballer he has ever played alongside or coached.
Strachan and his leg-weary team had looked set to see their quest to retain the title stretch into at least another week until Nakamura guided the controversially awarded set piece around Kilmarnock’s defensive wall and beyond goalkeeper Alan Combe into the corner of the net.
“I thought it was going to be another long week for us,” said Strachan, “but I’m lucky to have a genius on board. When we were awarded the free-kick, I thought ‘naw, he can’t do it again’. It was asking too much of him, but he did it. He didn’t have his best game for us today, but he never stopped showing for the ball and it was fitting that he should score the goal which won the title.
“He has played more minutes for us than anyone else this season and covered more ground than any player. He has looked physically and mentally tired recently, but he still managed to produce when it mattered. He is the most technically gifted player I have ever been involved with in the game.
“I played with guys like Bryan Robson and Kenny Dalglish, who were fabulous footballers, but for a sublime touch, Naka is the best. “
Nakamura, who burst into tears after an uncharacteristically wild celebration of his goal which earned him a booking, was highly critical of his overall performance and felt he had to produce a moment of magic to compensate.
“I made a few mistakes in the game,” said Nakamura. “I have never behaved like that after scoring before, but it meant a lot to me.
“The free-kick against Manchester United this season was also important, but this one was probably the best.”
Strachan, who had seen a lead at the top of the table which once stood at 22 points reduced to 10 by the time his team kicked off yesterday, believes his second SPL success as Celtic manager is a greater achievement that his first as a consequence of the personnel changes to his squad over the past year.
“I enjoyed this one more, because it was so long it coming,” he said. “It was harder to win, because we lost some huge personalities after last season. We lost Shaun Maloney, who was Scotland’s Player of the Year last year, we lost Stilian Petrov, Chris Sutton, John Hartson and Roy Keane. That is some amount of big players to lose.
“It was hard to get over the line in the end, but a lot of credit goes to the younger players we have brought into the team this season. I’m absolutely delighted to win it again. I’m also absolutely whacked, but I’m delighted because I have had the best players in the country this season.”
Strachan clearly relished the celebratory scenes after the match at Rugby Park, plucking young Celtic supporters from the crowd to join in the festivities with his players on the pitch. There were also chants of “One Gordon Strachan” from fans who have often allowed their feelings towards Martin O’Neill’s successor to be the subject of considerable doubt.
“It is great to be appreciated,” said Strachan. “We had fun out there after the game. I think a few parents were a bit wary about handing their kids over to a strange man running around with a bad hip, but it was a good chance to get them involved and meet some of their idols.”
Asked about recent speculation that he may be tempted to leave Celtic this summer for a return to English football, Strachan was somewhat ambiguous with his response but did insist that he continues to get considerable job satisfaction from his current role.
“People who speculate about me don’t really know me,” he said. “A lot of them haven’t even met me and a lot of them never will. I just love being the manager of Celtic, I can’t say any more than that. The technique in the SPL is not the best, we all have to accept that and it’s something which needs to improve. But what we do have is good coaches and players who play the game in the right spirit.”
Strachan’s team were lauded as deserving title winners by Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies, although he bristled at the soft award of the decisive free-kick when Nakamura went down easily under a challenge from Gary Wales.
“He [Nakamura] miscontrolled the ball a wee bit and then played for the free-kick,” said Jefferies. “I knew he would score and it’s the fourth or fifth time he has done it to us. It was cruel, because we didn’t deserve to lose the game, but Celtic are worthy champions this season.”
(c) 2007
The Scotsman