Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has insisted his ‘ultimate goal’ as Hoops boss is to make the club a regular side in the UEFA Champions League.
After just 12 months in the Parkhead dugout, Postecoglou achieved trophy success lifting the Scottish Premiership title and Premier Sports cup last campaign.
The Hoops’ reward for winning back the title at the first time of asking was an automatic place in the UEFA Champions League group stages.
Anticipation has been building ahead of the Bhoys’ return to the most prestigious club competition in the world, and last week Ange Postecoglou’s side found out who their opponents would be.
Of course, as supporters are well aware of by now, the Hoops have been drawn against Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donestk in Group F.
Pundits and supporters have been giving their assessment of the draw as the Parkhead faithful eye up potential away trips or what games might provide shock results.
Speaking in a recent interview with Australian media outlet Stan Sports Football, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou provided his in-depth thoughts on the draw.
The 57-year-old stated that his side are looking forward to the challenge against three tough European sides. Postecoglou also outlined his aims of making Celtic into a regular Champions League side moving forward.
He said [@StanSportFC]: “It’s a great challenge. It doesn’t matter who you get, that’s why the Champions League is the competition that it is.
“You’ve got to understand that we are in pot four, and there’s a reason we’re in pot four. That’s done by design and that is because in Europe recently, we haven’t had the greatest of experiences.
“My ultimate aim is to make us a Champions League club. And what I mean by that is a club that plays in the Champions League every year, that competes, that makes an impact.
“And to do that, you’ve really got to understand that every experience you have is an opportunity to learn, to develop, to be better. The teams in our group are going to test us in every single way.
“Whether that’s, you’ve got the obvious in Real, but if you look at Shakhtar and Leipzig, they’ve consistently been in European Champions League group stages the last few years, which shows the calibre of team and players they have.
“I think experience at Champions League level is really important. So, for us, it’s just about going out there and really challenging ourselves.
“Like I said, my ultimate aim for our football club is to make us a Champions League club, and that means that we’ve had famous victories in the past, and it would be great to have another big scalp, but that’s not where the growth lies.
“The growth lies in playing all these games, playing our football, measuring ourselves, hopefully making progress, and then building on that for years to come.”
Ange Postecoglou’s ‘ultimate’ Celtic goal is one that will leave supporters even more buzzing for UCL return.
With the Bhoys Champions League return just over a week away, fans are already buzzing at the prospect of the return of special European nights at Paradise.
Personally, hearing Ange Postecoglou discuss this group and his future aims as manager has got me even more excited for that first outing against the current holders of the competition a week tomorrow!
The Celtic boss is keen to see his side become a team who can compete with some of the best footballing sides in the world, and this season we will have the chance to showcase what we are capable.
The work that Ange is currently doing at Parkhead is incredible, and there is a real special feeling around this squad at this moment in time.
The former Socceroos boss will be hoping to see the beginning of the club establishing themselves once again on the Champions League stage, starting with their outings against their three opponents in this year’s group stage.
In other news, Ange Postecoglou explains what Celtic learned from European exploits so far ahead of UCL return.
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