Ange Postecoglou has hailed the qualities of James Forrest after his star turn for Celtic against Livingston in the Scottish Premiership today.
Forrest scored his first league goal of the season in the 3-1 win, latching on to Jota’s sublime through ball to finish expertly past Max Stryjek.
After the match, Postecoglou praised the winning mentality of the long-serving winger and also revealed it was his efforts in training that led to his big starting chance today.
James Forrest ‘set the tone’ for Celtic today
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the Bhoys boss said: “James has had a tough time but I see him every day. That’s how I make my assessments and he has worked really hard in training. It’s not easy when you don’t get a run of games but his quality has always been there.
“I’ve had to be patient for when I can throw him in because he’s one of the most experienced ones and I know he can certainly help us. He’s a winner and we’re going to need those types.
“I don’t know if he was lacking in confidence – maybe he was lacking a little bit of rhythm and that spark you need when you’re an attacking player.
“He’s an experienced guy, he knew what he had to do and he played his role very well. He and Jota really set the tone.”
Postecoglou often talks about ‘picking moments’ to players into the thick of the action. It’s a consistent go-to phrase for him. This particular moment was a beauty for Forrest to return.
The manager put him into the St Mirren game mid-week and the winger was as lively as he’s been for a while. Postecoglou heavily praised him in the press afterwards and then gave him a starting opportunity today. That’s quality man-management.
Listen, Abada is probably going to remain the first-choice winger. But when you can optimise a rotation like this it’s a massive boost to Postecoglou’s options. Having a motivated, fit and firing Forrest in the pocket is a great weapon to have over the next two months.
In other news, “Massive”, “Incredible”; Joe Hart and Nir Bitton react on Instagram to Celtic win vs Livingston.
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