Murder by numbers
Ange: It doesn’t matter if I have 1000 players, if they don’t deliver performances, it will be...
ANGE POSTECOGLOU now has the deep depth of squad to keep fighting on all fronts.
But the Celtic boss admits it doesn’t matter if he has 1000 players at his disposal if they don’t consistently deliver.
He insists it’s the resilience and desire within the expanded group that will determine what comes next in the immediate future for his troops. And not the numbers.
Postecoglou was disappointed after Thursday’s bashing from Bodo/Glimt but not deflated.
The Hoops gaffer is shrewd enough to know there’s no such thing as a perfect storyline throughout a season and a script can be ripped up at any time.
But it’s the response that matters to him. The ability to hit straight back if, or inevitably when, they do come along.
Postecoglou has options to mix and match for tomorrow’s Premiership encounter against Dundee as his troops aim to stay top of the title pile.
Having bolstered the squad in January and also welcomed some injured stars back into the fold, there are alterations which can be made – as opposed to the situation before the winter break when faced with huge injury issues. But it’s about
BY more than that for Postecoglou and he said: “We have more depth in the squad to be able to maintain the levels.
“But at the same time, from our perspective, you could have 1000 players. It’s about what the players do when they’re out there.
“We got through the first half of the season because the squad was really resilient. Some had to play with injuries but we still maintained our levels.
“Just because we got extra players, I don’t want people to think they’re comfortable.
“I’m hoping a few of them don’t want to get rotated, I’m hoping a few of them want to keep playing and get disappointed when we leave them out. That’s the kind of attitude we need.
“Nothing is easy, nothing runs to script, there are always bumps in the road.
“Credit to Bodo/Glimt, they were clinical and took their chances. There weren’t many but they took them and we didn’t.
“For us, it’s not just about what we do when things are going well. It’s about what we do in adversity. This is an opportunity for us to show we can bounce back from it.”
Postecoglou is not one for resting on laurels. It’s a constant push, a constant strive for more.
Bodo/Glimt may have emerged victorious at Parkhead to end Celtic’s 17-match unbeaten run but the manager’s demands are evident even when results are going his way.
Postecoglou had strong words for the players after their first-half display against Raith six days ago in the Scottish Cup win over the Championship side. He has maintained that since he was appointed at Celtic positive results only come about through doing the right things and having the right approach.
Postecoglou said: “The first half last Sunday wasn’t about performance. It was just about intent. We were comfortable.
“You can look for a million different theories about why we didn’t win on Thursday night.
“My gut tells me it comes down to if you’re really clinical in the front third you can win on any given day and if you’re not you can lose on any given day.
“That is what happened to us on Thursday. It wasn’t so much about our performance, it is about what happened in the two boxes. They were super clinical, we weren’t.”
Postecoglou now has Dundee firmly on his mind with the game against the Dark Blues taking on extra significance after the appointment of new manager Mark McGhee. The Celtic boss stays out of the affairs of other clubs, however.
His focus is on his own work and progression of his squad.
It’s not just about when things are going well – it’s about what we do in adversity ANGE POSTECOGLOU
Premiership business and making sure his team stays at the summit is the No.1 objective right now.
But he’s not giving up the Europa Conference League chase and added: “People have seen enough of this team to know we are not going to go over there and lie down. We will go there and have a go.
“That’s the script football writes for you, the challenge for us now. To go there and challenge what may be the outcome of the story everyone thinks it will be.”