Ange is a big game hunter
POSTECOGLOU TELLS HOOPS TO EMBRACE HYPE
ANGE POSTECOGLOU has ordered his Celtic players to embrace the hype ahead of today’s Scottish Cup semi-final showdown with Rangers.
The Hoops can move a major step closer to a fifth treble in six seasons when they face their Old Firm rivals at Hampden.
Postecoglou has urged his players to create history and explained he sees no good in underplaying the occasion ahead of such a big game.
The Celtic boss said: “My experience with these things, there’s no point trying to disguise it as something it isn’t.
“You can go in there and say that it’s just another game and treat it just like another game, but I think you lose the unique aspect of the fact that you want your players to embrace the big occasion and play in a big game.
“You don’t want your players to shy away from it.
“I don’t think I need to tell them that, they will realise themselves from the build-up and obviously when they walk out there.
“But my role in that is just to make sure the focus is on the important things, the things that have got us to this point. And also highlight the fact that the key to these big games is to be ready to take the opportunity.
“You don’t want to let too many of those opportunities go by in your career.
“I’m not one for telling the guys to ignore the hype or ignore the attention.
“Particularly at this football club, it’s really important that the guys embrace that and want that.
“They want to be in the big games and, the bigger the games, the bigger the opportunity to make a statement.”
The Bhoys are boosted by the availability of fit-again striker Kyogo Furuhashi (above) and Postecoglou is ready to unleash him.
The Japan ace returned to the Hoops side as a sub against St Johnstone last week after a three-month injury lay-off. And the Aussie added: “The conservative approach with Kyogo is gone now.
“I was initially concerned about how we integrated him back into the team.
“With him being out for so long and the team doing well, we didn’t need to rush him back.
“But he’s trained fully for the last two weeks and he trains really hard. So he’s ready to play now.
“Can he last 90 or 120 minutes on Sunday? No, because he’s not had much football.
“But he’s ready to play and I’m no longer worried about being conservative with him in any sense.
“He’s trained and he’s now available for selection.”