Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic make history with nine-goal away win in Scotland
Anything Liverpool can do, Ange Postecoglou evidently thinks his Celtic can match.
After Liverpool had decorated the Premier League with a record-equalling 9-0 home victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, the Australian manager’s team were not to be outdone in the Scottish Premiership less than 24 hours later with their own merciless 9-0 mauling of Dundee United.
Not only was it Celtic’s biggest-ever away win in the league in their proud 134-year history, but there were moments near the end of the massacre at Tannadice that it looked as if it might even match their biggest-ever win of 11-0 back in 1895 against United’s city rivals Dundee.
It came amid a demonstration – sometimes dazzling – of the sort of attacking football the one-time Socceroos boss is trying to instil as commonplace at Parkhead.
“It’s the team we want to be – it’s not just about the football we want to play,” said Postecoglou after Sunday’s masterclass had put his side two points clear at the top of the table after five striking wins to open their defence.
“It’s about the intent and we don’t want to be led by the scoreboard or whatever the circumstances of the game are. With respect to whether it’s the first or the last minute, or whether we’re winning or not, we want to play at a certain tempo and intensity.”
It was an intensity that blew away an admittedly feeble United side, who were described by their manager Jack Ross as being like mannequins in a training-ground exercise as they suffered their worst loss since a record 12-1 defeat by Motherwell 68 years ago.
“It’s not just about winning a game of football – it’s about us setting our own standards within that,” said Postecoglou, whose side are about to get some much more meaningful challenges.
Next Saturday lunchtime, they will face their old foes and closest domestic pursuers Rangers in the first Old Firm contest of the season at Parkhead.
Then the European challenges start to come thick and fast in the Champions League, with holders Real Madrid coming to Glasgow three days later.
Postecoglou is trying to build a side guaranteed to give even the best in the business an uncomfortable time on one of Celtic Park’s famed feverish Euro nights.
Sunday’s performance was superb – even if the opposition were not.
Japan’s Kyogo Furuhashi scored a first-half hat-trick, Israeli Liel Abada hit a treble in the second period, and Portugal’s Jota, Croatia’s Josip Juranovic and Sweden’s Carl Starfelt all got on the scoreboard as well for Postecoglou’s league of nations brigade.
Postecoglou is aiming high and reckons that the only thing that would satisfy him on a trip to Madrid’s Bernabeu, for instance, would be to come away with all the points.
“What you want to make sure is that when you have these opportunities,” he said. “It’s better to swap shirts with players you admire after you’ve knocked them off, rather than just grabbing one for your collection.”