Ange Postecoglou was asked about his consistent rotation of the Celtic team last night and how much disciplines such as sports science help inform his decisions.
Postecoglou has changed around half of his starting eleven in the last two matches, just a small part of a period that has seen a policy of using the full depth of his Celtic squad.
It’s largely worked, in fairness, save for a blip against St Mirren. Although it can frustrate some Celtic fans and see some observers pipe up with criticism, Postecoglou has insisted he makes all his decisions based on a wide breadth of information not available to club outsiders.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland [20/10, 17:48], the Celtic boss said: “It’s all important. I guess that’s the kind of information I have that people on the outside don’t have. It’s not just the sports science, it’s what I see in training, it’s the way the guys are feeling about things. There are a whole range of rationale and information when selecting the team. Sometimes from the outside you can struggle to understand why managers, not just myself, do certain things.
“Certainly, sports science is there for a reason, it’s there to provide information on how the guys are going from a physical perspective. But training is there to provide information, the other coaches, everyone involved with the football club.
“I think for any manager today it’s about how you use that information. Throughout my whole career, I try to make these decisions by being as well informed as I can be.”
It’s a side of football people often don’t see. When a team announcement comes out or a player is consistently on the bench, emotion or bias often takes over. It’s easy to think there are solutions to specific problems when the reality is a club manager is always best placed to pick the team.
I’m not saying that on my high horse. I’m as guilty of it as anyone, thinking someone should have played here or there.
But it is a welcome perspective from Postecoglou that provides a bit of insight and might make some of us think twice next time we are unhappy with a starting eleven!
In other news, Scottish football’s cheaper version of VAR will be missing key technology as Celtic get set for debut.
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