Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has insisted his side must continue to work the way they have been to become a good side at Champions League level.
On Tuesday evening, the 57-year-old saw his team slip to a third defeat in the Champions League group stages, losing to RB Leipzig for the second time in under a week.
The Bhoys are still looking to get off the mark with a victory in Group F and are the only side not to pick up three points after the conclusion of four matches.
However, looking back at the Hoops’ performances, Posteoclgou’s side has deserved more from games and had several positive spells against Leipzig, Shakhtar and Real Madrid.
Although the results have come as a frustration to the Celtic manager, especially with the number of chances his side has created, the former Socceroos boss has called for his squad to stick to their guns.
Speaking in the aftermath of last night’s loss, Postecoglou insisted his players are doing all the right things, and it is clear to see they are heading in the right direction to become a good European side as we continue the learning process under our manager.
He said [The Scotsman]: “It’s about holding our nerve and not falling into the trap of thinking it’s not working. I believe it is not far away from working.
“I think the worst thing you can do is now shy away from doing what we are doing because we haven’t had success immediately at this level. My sort of theory on this stuff is that you just have to keep persevering and heading down this road.
“If we were getting outplayed and not creating chances, we would need a different mindset, but I think we are very close to becoming a really good team at this level. Our process can’t be fast-tracked just because I want it to happen. We still have to take the steps, and the players have got to go through the experiences.
“We have got to keep going. Irrespective of whether we can continue on, we have two more Champions League games, and we want to keep using as a platform to improve as a football team, to improve our players. And while they have exposure at this level, I think the better equipped we will be moving forward.
“That is why we are doing what we are doing, and I am doing what I am doing. There is a gap there that we are never going to be able to close in terms of becoming one of these bigger clubs, but we can chip away at it.
“That’s my theory on it. Every time you go out there, you get a little bit closer. I feel we are doing that. The results won’t show that, but from the way I look at football and what we are trying to do as a club, I think we are on the right road.”
Ange Postecoglou’s squad are heading down the right road as we continue new stage of Celtic rebuild.
Just 12 months ago, no Celtic supporter could have imagined seeing the Bhoys back in Champions League action as we prepared to undergo a major rebuild.
However, fast forward to October 2022, and that is exactly where we are, thanks to the brilliant work of Ange Postecoglou and his players.
Now, of course, that doesn’t just mean we are here to make up the numbers in the competition, and we should be looking to compete.
But, I believe many would argue we have competed and deserved more from games with the sheer number of chances created in each game.
It may not seem like it anymore, but we are still undergoing that major rebuild. However, we are at a much more advanced stage as Postecoglou looks to get us back contesting at the highest level.
This season’s Champions League campaign was always going to be a big learning curve for the players, and I am sure they have learned plenty across the last four games.
It is now about putting that into action, starting with our final two group-stage fixtures against Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid.
In other news, “They play great football” – RB Leipzig stars react to Celtic Park clash.
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