“That fear of getting beaten is a great thing. It stays with you from early in your career.”

Now Strachan’s next challenge is back at Pitttodrie today where he made his name as a player. He will not change his team for the sake of change but circumstances might dictate switches. One player who seems set to start, though, is McDonald who put in a tremendous shift against Spartak which didn’t surprise Strachan one little bit.

“It wasn’t surprising because if you had seen us all pre-season and watched his games you expected that,” declared the Parkhead manager.

“You can sense from a player whether it’s real confidence or whether it is bravado and he has got real confidence.”

Meanwhile, Sno has vowed not to become the forgotten man of Parkhead following the arrival of Scott Brown and Massimo Donati. The young Dutch star insists he has a role to play for the Hoops as they get their season underway with a vengeance at home and abroad. And he declared:

“When we signed the guys in the summer I wasn’t too worried. “Of course they are good players. Massimo, for instance, played for Milan.

“But then everyone who plays for Celtic must have qualities or they would not be here in the first place.

“And that applies to me as much as anyone else. I have confidence in my own ability.” Sno, who made a substitute’s appearance against Spartak Moscow last week, is determined to remain very much part of manager Gordon Strachan’s plans. And he showed last season that he is a valuable member of the Hoops’ squad. He was given what many felt was an unexpected European debut in place of the vastly more experienced Thomas Gravesen in Celtic’s 3-0 victory over Benfica, and followed that up by playing in both matches against Milan. And now the 20-year-old has the whiff of the Champions League in his nostrils once again.

“You look at our result in midweek and you say yes, we are in touching distance of the group stage which is very exciting,” he said.

“But we still have to be wary because although we turned in a very professional performance over there they are an excellent side who did some good things against us.

“But we are good and strong as well. We have a lot of heart and we are afraid of being beaten both individually and collectively.

“Look at the games we had last year against Milan and Benfica. We played as well as anyone.”

He added: “I was pleased to go on in Moscow and although it’s hard to be patient when you’re not playing after playing a lot last season, I have to go with what the coach decides.

“I appreciate he has to pick what he considers to be the right side for each particular match. If he thinks attack-minded midfielders are called for then that is his choice.

“My strengths tend to lie more with the defensive side of the game.”

In a hectic schedule, made even more so by the Hoops’ likely participation in the Champions League, that quality will be needed as much as any other for sure. It’s not out of the question, either, that it could be needed today against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.