Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has revealed the reasoning behind the absence of first-team trio Joe Hart, Moritz Jenz and Giorgos Giakoumakis against Sydney FC.
The Bhoys played out their first match against the A-League side this morning at the Allianz Stadium in the opening match of the Sydney Super Cup.
It ended in defeat for Ange Postecoglou’s side, with the 57-year-old left disappointed at his team’s performance in the 2-1 loss.
The former Socceroos manager made several changes to his starting 11, handing the likes of Oliver Abildgaard and Yosuke Ideguchi the opportunity to impress.
In the second half, Postecoglou also introduced a mix of first-team players and youth, with options such as Matt O’Riley and Rocco Vata brought on.
Although the Celtic boss was able to turn to a number of quality players amongst his squad earlier today, there were also a few notable absentees.
The trio of Joe Hart, Moritz Jenz and Giorgos Giakoumakis all missed out on the Bhoys’ opening fixture down under.
Speaking in the aftermath of the disappointing defeat, Postecoglou took some time to explain the reasoning behind all three players missing out.
Ange stated that he is hopeful that Hart and Giakoumakis will be back in contention for Sunday’s game against Everton. But, at the moment, it is touch and go for Jenz, who was brought off in the first half of Celtic’s victory over Ross County at the weekend.
He said [Daily Record]: “Joe was a bit sore after the last game. Giako had a bit of an infected toe, so he missed training. Both hopefully will train and be available for Sunday.”
He continued: “We are going through concussion protocols with him (Mortiz Jenz). He’s passed all the tests, but we will need to see by Sunday.
“He is training individually at the moment. We are looking at a couple of things, but hopefully, if he gets through everything properly, he could be training on Saturday.”
During the defeat in Sydney, Celtic defender Stephen Welsh was also forced off after receiving a nasty gash following a head clash in the penalty area.
Postecoglou was able to provide a short update on the Scotland under-21 international, stating: ‘I don’t know mate. He is getting stitched up just now. You could see it (was painful) in the moment, but it was more about getting the stitches in.”
Celtic injury woes shouldn’t affect winter training trip
Thankfully, those who are suffering from injuries aren’t out for too long, whilst the domestic action takes a break over the next few weeks.
Ange Postecoglou seems hopeful that he should have at least two players back for the final match against Everton, whilst Mortiz Jenz doesn’t sound too far away from full fitness.
So, although all three players might have missed some valuable minutes on the training field or amongst their teammates in friendly action, they should be all clear for the return of the Scottish Premiership in December.
With a trip to Portugal on the horizon at the beginning of next month, thankfully, they will all be able to take part as the Celtic coaching staff takes the squad through a mini winter pre-season camp.
The Celtic manager will certainly be hoping he doesn’t suffer from any further injury issues on Sunday. So, he might be cautious in using those who are returning from knocks.
In other news, “Friendly, cup final, doesn’t matter”; Ralston smarting after Sydney beat Celtic.
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