Ange Postecoglou has reacted to today’s Celtic draw at home vs Blackburn Rovers, admitting that after positive signs in the first half, the second half became less of a productive contest.
Celtic were ahead at the interval after goals from Jota and David Turnbull cancelled out a shock early Rovers opener.
The Bhoys were in control of the game at the point, passing well, putting good pressure on the visitors and looking likely for a third.
However, in the second half, with substitutions and Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side looking more lively, the Bhoys lost a bit of control of proceedings.
Postecoglou reflected that in his post-match comments, stating [Celtic FC]: “It was not too bad. I thought the first half was good in terms of our competitiveness and our performance, both teams were at it and we conceded early but then we got a good grip of the game.
“In the second half it got scrappy but both teams made a lot of substitutions so it’s hard to get into the rhythm for the players coming on. So the second half wasn’t great as an overall exercise but that’s the challenge of these games.
“I thought the first half was reflective of the work we’ve done so far, but we’re still two weeks away from the season. We did a lot of work in Austria and here in Scotland and it’s now about getting the guys in the best possible physical condition for the first game.”
Celtic will now have a week that mirrors what will become common in the early stages of the new season – travelling abroad between matches in Scotland.
Designed to reflect the UEFA Champions League campaign, Wednesday’s test against Legia Warsaw will be another good marker towards Ange’s pre-season desire.
The squad then return to Glasgow for the final warm-up clash at home to Norwich City.
We are now just two weeks away from the proper stuff starting against Aberdeen and hopefully we see the fruits of all this hard work in that one.
In other news, Jota dazzles, passing puzzles; 3 talking points as Celtic draw vs Blackburn Rovers.
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