Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has explained his reasoning for persisting with the Tom Rogic/David Turnbull partnership at Parkhead.
Hoops fans voiced their concerns over the pairing weeks ago. The main issues being that spaces got far too cramped in the final third with both featuring, whilst there’s a lack of defensive protection without a natural sitter.
In fairness, Postecoglou has stuck by his guns. He threw the pair together at Fir Park on Saturday after dropping Rogic for the previous game against Aberdeen. It worked an absolute treat with Motherwell opening up and offering Celtic more space to do damage in the final third.
But even so, Postecoglou doesn’t believe that playing both necessarily leads to lesser protection at the back. Instead, he’s sticking with the duo as he explained his decision via Celtic TV:
“You’ve always got to have good balance. The key to that is, when Tom and Dave are in good physical condition, they can do the defensive work we need so we don’t lose the balance. The tough bit for them is that I haven’t been able to rotate them. If you’re looking through the last phase of games they’re having to play game after game after game. That’s when it becomes too much of a burden on them to do that sort of role.
“Certainly at the weekend they both looked fresh. Dave hadn’t played at all during the time away and Tom felt really good. I think that showed. I guess that’s the kind of thing we have to keep monitoring.
“There may be games where I think we need to give one of them a spell so that we can change things up a little bit. But I think when they’re both good and fresh, it gives our team a good attacking threat without diminishing any sort of defensive solidity we may need.”
Celtic to motor on with Rogic and Turnbull contributing regularly together
It’s clear Postecoglou isn’t changing his way of thinking anytime soon. This is a partnership he likes and he’s determined to make sure it works.
It’s interesting to note that he doesn’t link the effectiveness of the duo to a particular type of game. It seems as though the Celtic boss feels the pair can operate in any type of domestic or European match. Whilst that wasn’t totally made clear, it would be a dangerous way of thinking.
We’ve seen how frustrating it can be watching both operate against sides that flood the central area of their defensive third. There’s a strong emphasis on stopping Turnbull and Rogic from opposition sides, and it shows during games in which they play together.
There’s a reason it worked so well against Motherwell. They were happy to come out and open up some gaps for both to exploit. It was the same against Bayer Leverkusen, but we were wasteful in that one whilst we conceded too many chances up the other end.
Rogic and Turnbull were certainly more effective in their defensive duties at the weekend, which is definitely a plus. But you’re still missing a natural sitter in there. It’s the kind of thing that can come back to bite you against better opposition. It’s not as straightforward as just throwing both into the team and thinking they have the quality to open the opposition up.
Regardless, it’s not something Postecoglou is going to discard anytime soon. He’s clearly backing the pair to thrive for him in the upcoming games. If they do, we’re laughing. But the signs are the manager will need to be careful in what games he implements this in.
In other news, Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou discusses Ferenc Puskas’ influence on his career
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