The upcoming clash with Stuttgart provides a welcome distraction from the grind of domestic football, although Trusty and Co are taking the Europa League as seriously as anything else.
“I think it’s about believing in us as a team,” Trusty said. “I think last year we had a great run in the Champions League and we actually felt disappointed leaving Bayern Munich, not winning and not advancing all into the competition.
“So it’s all about just building up from there, really. Obviously we’ve had some dips in the season that haven’t gone our favour, but it’s about getting back to where we were and hopefully we get there.
“I think it’s just a Celtic story as well. I think this organisation demands excellence, demands winning mentality and we want to go the farthest we possibly can in every competition and win the leagues and do right by this club because the club deserves it.
“We all look forward to it. The big lights, bright lights and with a lot of pressure on that we all deliver what really matters.
“Yeah, I sure hope so. It’s just about us being confident and getting back to that place and getting to that spot. Again, when we played Bayern Munich at home, we did fairly well and then going there and really pushing the game to our terms. We had a lot of momentum and a lot of confidence.”
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Under Martin O’Neill this season, Trusty has missed just two matches, a Scottish Cup tie against sixth-tier minnows Auchinleck Talbot and a league clash with Falkirk for which he was suspended. The American is trusted by his manager, and some of his finest performances in green and white have come on the continental stage.
“I’m confident,” Trusty continued. “I think I’m just playing my game. I’m doing the best for my team and doing the best for myself to put myself in positions to achieve my goals, whether it’s this club or a national team or anything I want to accomplish. But it’s day in, day out here.
“I think Martin just wants good players. He wants people to win at all costs, really. At the end of the day, his biggest thing is to win.
“So as long as you win and you perform well for him, for your teammates and for yourself, I’m sure he’ll be happy.
“There’s a big emphasis on set-pieces, and Martin makes his knowledge really known, and he wants to be really good defensively and really good offensively, so we’re setting up to do that every game.”
Celtic’s return to a back four under O’Neill has brought stability, solidity, and familiarity. Trusty was often the last line of defence in a 3-4-2-1 under previous manager Wilfried Nancy.
“I don’t mind playing three at the back,” Trusty admitted. “I’ve played in Colorado, I’ve played in Birmingham City and Sheffield United. So I’ve played all around in all different positions.
“I felt comfortable being out there, being back there. I think a lot of times, especially here at Celtic, you don’t necessarily get to show your defensive side too much.
“A lot of it’s offensive, which is good, which you want to show as well. But to put out fires, to be the last man, I relished it, I liked it. Obviously, we let in some goals as a team, as a unit and as a squad. But I enjoyed playing in three at the back.
“I feel secure either way. I think it’s more just getting ideas across and maybe the timing of things. It didn’t necessarily go our way with that spell. But again, with how Celtic has played historically and the way we’ve played, especially last year with the momentum we’ve had, it’s kind of just slipped back into old habits that worked well.”
After both legs of the Stuttgart tie, Celtic have a mammoth domestic fixture run that includes two trips to Ibrox, a visit to Pittodrie, and a home match against Motherwell.
“I think it’s taking it game by game,” Trusty continued. “I think a lot of times players can look at the bigger games and get hyped for them, but it’s also about looking at the in-league games.
“There’s pride, there’s intensity, there’s all of the above. We need to win and that’s just the basis of it. This is a winning culture, winning environment, winning organisation and we expect titles here.”