Arne Engels: Celtic want to be a ‘machine’ and destroy teams

Arne Engels wants Celtic to be a winning “machine” after their 6-0 drubbing of Dundee took them 13 points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership with 13 matches remaining.

The 21-year-old Belgium midfielder, signed from FC Augsburg in the summer for a reported fee of £11million, scored twice at Parkhead on Wednesday night, the first from the spot, as the Hoops blew away Tony Docherty’s side – with the Dee suffering a six-goal thrashing for the second successive game.

Japan winger Daizen Maeda also notched a brace with further goals from Republic of Ireland striker Adam Idah and substitute Nicolas Kuhn as Brendan Rodgers’ side stretched their lead over Rangers at the top of the table.

Engels said: “We have an amazing squad of people that want to improve every day and every week.

“You see it in our performance, that it’s only getting better and better every time, and that we are trying to make a machine from us.

“We are in a good way. The season is not over, so we are trying to improve every game.

“For me personally, I’m always there to grab another goal, to have that mindset.

“That’s also why I wanted to come here to Celtic, it is the mindset of winning and keep on going even when it’s 4-0, just to destroy teams.

“And that’s what I really like from the mentality here, that everybody has the same mindset and same way of thinking, and I really love it.

“Sometimes other teams are maybe pleased with 1-0 or 2-0 and then they want to keep that, but we are going and going and going and even destroying ourselves sometimes physical-wise to get another goal.

“That’s really a bonus thing that we have here as a team.”

Engels took his goal tally for the season to nine with a stunning second goal from the edge of the box after opening the scoring with a penalty – his seventh from the spot this season.

He said: “My team-mates are joking about it and also for me, I don’t want to be the guy that only scores penalties.

“I am more than that, so I’m happy to help the team with that last night.

“I’m always trying to shoot from distance. I know I have a great shot, so I need to do it even more.

“But yeah, really pleased to help the team last night.

“I just want to help the team winning, and if that is with the goal or an assist, then that’s a bonus.

“But I’m here to win games for Celtic, and that’s the main goal.”

Celtic host Raith Rovers in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fifth round on Saturday before facing German giants Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off at Parkhead next Wednesday night.

Engels said: “I think we can cause every team problems.

“We showed it already in the Champions League, that we can do it against every team, but the next game is at the weekend so that’s our main focus now.

“We want to win everything and that’s what we are really good at this season, to keep taking every game by itself and not looking forward in the next two weeks, just game by game.”