Ange Postecoglou explains big Celtic captaincy decision

Add as preferred source on Google

Ange Postecoglou has given an insight into his decision to make Cameron Carter-Vickers the matchday captain in the absence of Callum McGregor.

McGregor picked up a knee injury away to RB Leipzig last week and isn’t expected back until after the World Cup break. With a huge period of matches ahead, Postecoglou had to make a decision on who will take the armband, and Carter-Vickers is the man he turned to.

That’s despite other leaders existing in the squad, including regulars such as Greg Taylor and Joe Hart.

Speaking in a press conference today, Postecoglou said of his decision: “When you lose somebody as influential as Callum, you’re not going to fill that breach with someone who is a carbon copy of him.

“For me, it was really important we have some stability. We’ve already got guys like Joe Hart, who is very vocal and a leader in his own right, or Greg Taylor and Josip Juranovic, who are quite vocal in the dressing room. I just felt we needed a different type of leader also.

“When Cameron is out there, the lads do see him as a leader in the way he plays, and he goes about his business. For me, it was a balancing act for what kind of leadership we needed through this period with Callum out. With others providing vocal leadership, we have Cameron there as well, and I think he has done well.”

I think most Celtic fans will fully understand where Postecoglou is coming from based on not just what we have seen from action on the pitch, but interviews and mentality off of it too.

There are certainly more recognisable, traditional leaders front and centre of media appearances and the like. But you can’t argue that, in every sense, Carter-Vickers is crucial to the way the team sets about their task in games.

It’s always beneficial to have balance, and just because the defender has the armband, it doesn’t mean others, such as Hart and Taylor, won’t step up with their own leadership attributes.

In other news, Carl Starfelt still weeks away from Celtic selection.