It’s always great to hear from Celtic defender Josip Juranovic, especially when he’s praising his teammates or manager Ange Postecoglou.
And given even the slightest opportunity, that’s what he tends to do. Croatia international Juranovic beamed about his “incredible” teammates, and he’s also a big fan of how Ange Postecoglou sets his teams up, no matter the odds.
Celtic found themselves goalless and a man down on Saturday afternoon, with quality chances at a premium against a determined Dundee United side. Eventually, the Hoops were able to work an opportunity, with Jota’s perfect cross finding Liel Abada with time and space in the box.
Cue pandemonium.
Just like against Ross County though, it was a goal borne from steadfast belief in the manager’s tactics. The temptation to kick and hope must surely have been there. Instead, as Juranovic points out, the Bhoys stuck to the course, and it paid off.
It was a win that, combined with Rangers dropping points against Ross County, beautifully set up an enormous Glasgow Derby tomorrow night. And with the possibility of Celtic topping the table, nobody at the club is getting carried away. If we do lead the Scottish Premiership tomorrow night though, it’ll be because of belief in a system.
Juranovic described how Celtic have been able to get themselves in this position, saying [Celtic FC]: “It’s a winning mentality.
“If you want to win, it doesn’t matter if you have 9, 8 players.
“You will go forward. We didn’t kick the ball just Giakoumakis, or I don’t know, Abada. We keep playing on the floor. Because of that, we scored [against Dundee United].”
Josip Juranovic sums up life at Celtic under Ange Postecoglou, ahead of a seismic Glasgow Derby
This is what you want to hear before a Celtic v Rangers game: we can still win if we go a man or two (or three) down.
Of course, we shouldn’t necessarily want to test that theory. Comparatively, Celtic have been one of the better-disciplined teams in the Scottish Premiership, with the fewest yellow cards in the league [WhoScored?]. Keeping the heid shouldn’t really be an issue, even tomorrow night.
Time and again, though, Celtic have had to prove themselves against a stacked hand of cards. A man down and struggling to create real, clear-cut chances, the end of Saturday’s game was euphoric for a reason. The same was true against Ross County.
We’ve won these games because Celtic stuck to a game plan under Ange Postecoglou; don’t change for the game, change the game itself.
Juranovic, in many ways, embodies that spirit. He’s jovial, and clearly wants to enjoy the football he plays. Even in media conferences, he has a smile on his face. When it comes to the serious business though, he’s resolute, high quality and an essential part of this Celtic team.
Read more: Ange’s timeline comes to pass as Celtic winger Karamoko Dembele returns to training
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