Auston Trusty has hit back at suggestions Celtic underwhelmed last season, insisting the squad never doubted they would retain the title despite outside noise.
The defender rejected the idea that the campaign only just met expectations.
Speaking to Burgundy Wave while on international duty with the United States, Trusty said: “You may say that, but this season kind of showed what Celtic is.”
The centre-back pointed to the unique pressure that comes with playing for a club where winning is the baseline, and how any disruption to that standard can quickly shift perception.
“A lot of times in football, especially fans and organisations that are used to winning the entire time, in the history of Celtic, they’ve had a great formula to have success year by year,” he explained.
“When that formula gets messed up or messed with, you can have different results.”
Celtic’s path to the title was far from straightforward, with inconsistent spells, sustained pressure from rivals and scrutiny around the squad before Martin O’Neill ultimately led them over the line.
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But Trusty believes those challenges only underlined the squad’s mentality. “Some may view the season as a negative for Celtic, but also it was such a positive,” he said.
“It showed the true tenacity and willingness of a team and organisation to find a way to win.”
Crucially, the American insisted belief inside the dressing room never wavered throughout the campaign. “Celtic is a winning culture. That’s why you go there. It really is that culture,” Trusty added.
“The entire season, I knew we were going to win. We all knew we were going to win.”
Trusty also suggested the shifting dynamic of the title race, with Celtic forced into a less familiar position at times, proved the squad’s adaptability. “It’s a lot easier to chase instead of be chased. We’re so used to being chased,” he said.
“So they flipped the script and showed ourselves that we can win the league by 20 million points if we want to, or if we need to chase the league, we can do that as well.”
Ultimately, the defender believes the adversity made the triumph more meaningful, rather than diminishing it. “Some view it as a negative, but we view it as a positive,” he said.
“It was such a remarkable and amazing season.”
