Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has highlighted the players’ response to his post-Raith Rovers comments as he stated training has been great over the last week.
Postecoglou wasn’t pleased with the first-half showing against the Championship, a game in which Celtic only went in at the break 1-0 ahead despite dominating possession. Clear-cut chances were at a premium, and it was only after the manager brought on the first-choice players that we found a cutting edge and netted 3 more goals.
It was a rare slip in standards from Celtic this year in what’s been a flawless 2022 so far. We’ve now won 8 consecutive games since the turn of the year and 9 consecutive in total. Tomorrow’s clash against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League, therefore, could see that figure move into double-digits to mark a fine run of consistency.
And speaking at his pre-match press conference in which 67HailHail were in attendance, Ange said the following when asked by PA about the players’ response at Lennoxtown:
“I think a got a reaction in the second half as well. It wasn’t just a reaction from me, the players themselves were kind of frustrated and disappointed because that’s not the way we want to play our football. We did our review, we gave feedback to the players, we showed them the areas that we didn’t maintain our standards in and they clearly understand that and probably felt that.
“I think the thing that I got frustrated with in the first half was the players already know these things and could’ve addressed them themselves. It’s that I really want them to take ownership of that. They shouldn’t wait for me to come in at half-time to address stuff that’s pretty evident that we need to do better. I want them to be a team that takes ownership of our performances whilst we’re out there.
“But our training’s been great to be fair. It’s been great for quite a while. We’ve had an extra day here so obviously having most of the squad fit now and available and having competition for places – training’s probably at the best level it’s been all year which is pleasing for me. It means that if we can maintain that kind of sharpness then having that kind of flat first half last week will become a less likely outcome.”
Celtic players need to avoid slacking off against better opposition
Ange was absolutely spot on to be livid about how the game against Raith went. It may have sounded harsh given we were still winning the game, but that would be totally missing the bigger picture.
If Ange was to allow what happened in the first 45 against Raith to go without acknowledgment, it sets a dangerous precedent. It makes the players believe that what they produced was acceptable and that a similar level of performance can be replicated.
Imagine, for a moment, that we were as poor and passive as we were at times on Sunday when we faced Rangers a few weeks ago. We would’ve made a total mess of that opportunity and we would be sitting here still ruing the results. It’s about hammering home to the players that it’s anything but acceptable.
We have a manager here who isn’t going to allow them to get away with it, regardless of the results they’re picking up. Ange has always maintained that level of performance, for him, is just as vital as results. It is, after all, a form of entertainment.
That’s something the Hoops boss takes to heart. Therefore, to hear him be pleased with the response at Lennoxtown is brilliant to hear from a supporter’s perspective. It makes us belief that things should be all good when we face Bodo/Glimt tomorrow.
We certainly can’t afford to produce another lethargic 45 minutes like we did on Sunday.
In other news, Bodo/Glimt have outlined how they’ll approach Parkhead clash; will suit Celtic beautifully
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