Celtic ‘embraced’ pressure of winning treble, says Leigh Griffiths
Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths felt his side showed their mental strength by clinching the treble in the final moments of the season.
Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths felt his side showed their mental strength by clinching the treble in the final moments of the season.
The Hoops were under pressure to translate their dominant campaign into the club's fourth treble and were given a tough test in Saturday's William Hill Scottish Cup final by Aberdeen, who took the lead through Jonny Hayes.
However, Stuart Armstrong quickly levelled and Celtic turned the screw as the game progressed, missing several good chances before Tom Rogic calmly slotted home in stoppage time.
Griffiths said: “If you can't handle the pressure of playing at Celtic then you shouldn't be here. We embrace that kind of environment and we showed why we are champions.''
Manager Brendan Rodgers has given himself a hugely difficult task to improve on his first season after Celtic won 43 domestic games and drew the other four.
European football offers the chance to do better after Celtic finished bottom of their Champions League group, but Griffiths also aims to maintain standards in Scotland.
“We will enjoy this moment,'' he said. “We know next season will be even harder and all the teams will want to be the first to beat us.
“It's been a great start under the new gaffer and hopefully next season it will get even better.''