So, is anyone capable of cracking the enigma code?
Ange’s rivals still trying to work him out after incredible debut campaign...
FOR Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, the element of surprise was to prove a useful weapon in his managerial artillery. When he pitched up at Parkhead, knowledge of the new man’s methods, tactics and CV was sketchy.
Losing three of the opening six league games, even his own players seemed to struggle with working him out.
After a sobering defeat to Livingston in September, however, a high-pressing 4-3-3 formation with inverted full-backs began to reap dividends. The pieces of the jigsaw started to fall into place.
Doggedly, Postecoglou defied calls to show more tactical flexibility. His Plan B has always been do Plan A better. And, heading into his second season in charge after a Premiership and League Cup double, the former Australia coach is no longer an unknown quantity.
Unperturbed by the prospect of opponents working out what he’s all about, he said: ‘It depends how closely they have been paying attention. My experience is they don’t usually.
‘That is a major challenge for every football manager and every club. I’ve stated we have to do better this year than last year.
‘We can’t go out there and play to the level of last year. It was enough to get us over the line but, if we are better, it gives us an opportunity for success.
‘We have to prepare ourselves for a tough season in the full knowledge people will try to stop us achieving what we did last year. Our job is to make sure we perform at better levels.’
While the shape and tactics haven’t changed, some aspects of Celtic’s preparations for a new season are unrecognisable.
This time last year, Postecoglou was asked to face FC Midtjylland in a Champions League qualifier with Stephen Welsh and teenager Dane Murray in central defence.
Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie had one eye on the exit, pre-season ended in the loss of six goals to West Ham and the opening league game was a 2-1 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle.
‘It is definitely different, for sure,’ added the Celtic manager. ‘Last pre-season, I’ve mentioned it a few times, was chaotic and frenetic as we had people coming and going. Same when the season started after round one in terms of players moving in and out.
‘So it’s been a different pre-season, we’ve been able to plan it differently and make sure we got a certain amount of work done that you can’t do when there is uncertainty around as there was last year.
‘From that point of view, it’s been good. But our pre-season last year wasn’t great and it didn’t stop us from being champions. That’s not an indicator of how you’ll go. The fact we’ve had a calmer pre-season doesn’t guarantee we will be ready to go on Sunday.
‘We have to make sure we come out and try to play our best and show the pre-season we’ve had has prepared us for what’s ahead.’
Knowing what to expect of Aberdeen is no easy task. The sales of Calvin Ramsay and Lewis Ferguson for hefty fees have allowed Jim Goodwin to bring in nine new signings.
Performances and results in the Premier Sports Cup suggest the Pittodrie side will be stronger than last season. They have to be.
‘Last year, even though they didn’t have a great season, they gave us some tough games,’ said Postecoglou. ‘The first game of the season, everyone has a sense of optimism about them and everyone can’t wait to get started.
‘Irrespective of who your first opponent is, you know there is going to be enthusiasm in the opposition as they want to lay down their own marker.
‘But we’re at home. We’re going to have 60,000 there and want to make sure we start the season off in as strong a fashion as possible.
‘Our goal will be to try and put on a performance to try and show people we are going to be a side who will be hard to stop.’
Since arriving in Glasgow, Postecoglou has preached a relentless mantra of improvement.
As Rangers learned last term, maintaining the standards of a title-winning season isn’t easy.
Hunger and desire is difficult to maintain. It can be fatal if levels drop even slightly.
Insisting that his team can’t allow themselves to stop moving forward, Postecoglou views last season’s league and cup double as history. Tomorrow’s unfurling of the league flag will be the final acknowledgement of what went before.
‘From a football-department perspective, we started a clean slate on the first day of pre-season,’ he said. ‘Sunday is more of a symbolic thing for the club to celebrate last season’s achievement with our fans and acknowledge that success.
‘But, in realistic terms, that line was drawn by us on day one of pre-season. We came back in and everyone was ready to go again looking ahead rather than back to what we did last year.
‘What I try to do with every environment I’ve been in is to try and create something that will surpass anything that has happened before.
‘So when I took over last year, the expectation for that year was to be the best team we could be and see where that takes us. It’s the same this year. It’s not about us coming back as champions or having more expectation.
‘My goal and ambition is to make us the best team we can be and, if we achieve that, become better than last year and perform at higher levels, then we’ll see what comes with it.
‘You can’t let other things derail you from the primary objective and that’s to be the best we can.’