Postecoglou: We must ‘embrace consequences’ of Old Firm semi
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has urged his players to embrace the opportunity to add to their legacy when they face Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
Celtic travel to Hampden on Sunday with a fifth treble in six seasons very much on.
Two wins over Rangers this year have helped Celtic move six points clear in the cinch Premiership title race, and a hat-trick of derby wins would leave Postecoglou within touching distance of following in the footsteps of Jock Stein, Martin O'neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon in securing a clean sweep of domestic trophies.
Postecoglou said: "It's a cup semi-final, so there's meaning on the end of it, there's consequences on the end of it.
"Every cup game you play, if you want to progress, you have got to perform on the day and get the job done on the day. There's no second chances.”
"The players know the occasion,” he added. “I don't have to disguise or dress it up in any other way than it's going to be a massive game with massive consequences, and it's exactly where we want to be."
A small band of 700 Celtic fans watched their side win 2-1 at Ibrox earlier this month after a two-year absence of away supporters in the derby fixture.
The neutral venue of Hampden will allow about 25,000 supporters from each side of the Glasgow divide to make an altogether different atmosphere.
"It's what we all want to be involved in, games where at the end of it, hopefully you make memories that will last beyond your own lifetime,” Postecoglou said.
Meanwhile, Celtic are still waiting for a final diagnosis on two key players ahead of Sunday’s game. In-form striker Giorgios Giakoumakis and midfielder David Turnbull are both doubtful for the match at Hampden after picking up injuries in Saturday’s 7-0 cinch Premiership win over St Johnstone.
The Greek striker tweaked his hamstring and went off in the first half, while midfielder Turnbull – who has already missed a chunk of the season due to injury – finished the game with a knock.
It can appear straightforward as to which Celtic players have underpinned the club’s treble tilt that, potentially, has taken them to within four victories of a domestic clean sweep.
Ange Postecoglou utilised 16 players in Saturday’s 7-0 turkey shoot against St Johnstone. The bright cameo from jewel Kyogo Furuhashi – in his first appearance this year – meant the Australian had all his mainstays in play across their biggest win of the season. The Celtic manager readily acknowledged the fuel supplied to his team’s propulsion by his squad depth over a season in which 40 players have had game time. Pointedly, he did so by citing the contribution of performers not even stripped at the weekend.
"It's not just about game day,” said Postecoglou. “That's the result of a week's work. Boys on the bench who didn't even get on against St Johnstone… [Nir] Bitton, [Yosuke] Ideguchi, Ralston. Welshy [Stephen Welsh] wasn't in the squad. [The injured] James Forrest and Mikey Johnston – all those guys every day at training are producing fantastic levels. That means our preparation is where it should be and, come game day, everyone is ready to perform. We don't discount anyone's effort. The ones who play get the applause and the accolades, but behind the scenes my respect goes to the guys who don't get the opportunities they deserve but want to be part of something special and always make that sacrifice."
Celtic are peaking when they need to be, their treble hopes on the line in Sunday’s Scottish Cup against a Rangers side they defeated at Ibrox recently. Optimum fitness levels and marginal gains are pursued through crunching the numbers associated with performance and physicality. Yet, the 56-year-old never loses sight of the intangibles that can drive a team’s form – like surfing emotions, sticking to principles and striving for better.
"We analyse the data which supports the kind of football team we want to be. But the most important statistic for us is our fans going down London Road happy. That's our measure and it means that not only have we won but we've played the kind of football they want to see. We do have some metrics that we want to hit. Some are physical, some are our game style, and we have been doing that for quite a while. We sit down and analyse games. It's easy to say: 'Great performance, well done boys' but there's a reason for that. We give them the feedback but a lot of it is the sheer willingness to buy into something and to believe there is something beyond just the three points."
Postecoglou’s philosophy is in the varied nature of Celtic’s plundering. No fewer than 21 players have scored for the club this season – eight of these in the past two games alone.
“At the start of the season it was Kyogo, David Turnbull, Liel [Abada] and Jota who were doing it. Now it's guys like Daizen [Maeda] and Jacko [Giorgos Giakoumakis]. Matty [O’riley] got a couple at the weekend. It's important because we don't want to be too reliant on one or two guys for goals. We've had goals from Anthony Ralston. Josip [Juranovic] gets his penalties.
"It's important to who we are as well – we want to be a team with multiple threats."