Celtic boss hails turnaround ahead of potential title-clinching showdown
ANGE POSTECOGLOU hopes Celtic make it a ‘special’ night for the Hoops fans when they face Dundee United in a potential title-clincher at Tannadice. With two Scottish Premiership fixtures remaining, Celtic are six points ahead of Europa League finalists Rangers with a goal difference superior by 20 which in reality makes the title Parkhead-bound. Celtic finished 25 points behind their Old Firm rivals in the league race last season before the Australian took over in the summer and now the title is almost in his grasp at the first time of asking, with the champions-elect preparing for the trip to Tayside tonight. Postecoglou said: ‘We are under no illusions, we have an opportunity to make it a special night for the football club and our supporters. I am sure they will enjoy it.
After last season’s disappointments, not just the fact that we obviously didn’t have success as a football club, they weren’t able to feel part of it, they couldn’t contribute as they weren’t allowed in the stadiums (due to pandemic restrictions). ‘This year everyone has put in maximum effort including our supporters. ‘Everything they had pent up from last year they have released this year in a positive way and I am sure everyone is looking forward to the last two games. ‘Our role in that is to make sure we continue on with our good form and continue on from the football we played at the weekend and take that’ opportunity to make it a special night.’ Celtic’s 4-1 home win over Hearts at the weekend made it 30 league games unbeaten, since the Hoops lost 1-0 away to Livingston last September. However, the former Australia boss is placing little importance on that impressive statistic.
He said: ‘What we have done this season is chip away. ‘Every week is important, we have taken every game with the same preparation and intent, equal respect for every opponent, home and away, and not looked beyond that. ‘That has served us really well to be in the position we are. ‘Thirty games ago, we were a fair way behind in terms of looking like a team who could end up being champions and so 30 games later, we have taken an approach that has got us to his point and if we start thinking about, “let’s extend it to 31 or 32” — that has never been our goal. ‘Our goal has been to be the best possible team we can be, play our football, respect our opponent, respect the occasion, be at our best and for the most part we have been at our best — and even when we haven’t been, we still found a way to get the job done,’ he concluded TV: Dundee Utd v Celtic Kick-off: 7.30pm LIVE on Sky Sports