Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou insists that last night’s humbling at the hands of Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt is an opportunity for his players.
Celtic slipped to a 3-1 defeat in the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout stages, giving the Bhoys a bit of a mountain to climb next week in Norway.
However, Ange is focused on Sunday’s domestic test first and foremost.
Despite obviously being disappointed with last night’s defeat, the manager told Sky Sports he is now looking for a reaction.
Postecoglou said: “It’s never going to be smooth. It was never going to be smooth for us this year. It’s just another challenge for us. We’ve had plenty this year.
“As I’ve said all along, there’s not this wave of momentum that people think. Football always has a way of making sure you keep focused one way or another. The result on Thursday gives us an opportunity to show how we respond to that.
“The first opportunity is Sunday against Dundee. They’ve had a managerial change and their last couple of results haven’t been too bad, so it’ll be another tough opponent for us.
“We’ve just got to show people that we react positively to this in the same way to every other challenge we’ve had this year.”
The last time Celtic lost in Europe we went on a 17-game unbeaten run that included 16 wins, so you can see Postecoglou’s point.
He doesn’t expect his team to deviate from the path they are on now despite a brutal night in Europe.
The players can’t take Dundee lightly on Sunday. Supporters will again make their way to Celtic Park and will assuredly remind them of their responsibilities.
Three points in the Scottish Premiership gets us back on track in the short-term, with European adventures the prize next season for domestic dominance.
In other news, Last night’s Celtic attendance stood out in UEFA competition this week; that’s our potential.
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