Ange Postecoglou didn’t instantly start winning at Celtic.
In fact, he lost his first European tie and only won three of his first seven league games. Not quite Russell Martin, but not too great.
The difficult start to life he is having at Nottingham Forest is familiar. His sensational entrance at Tottenham that saw him have the best first nine matches of any Premier League manager in history is something of an anomaly in his career.
Much like Brendan Rodgers, Postecoglou’s focus this season is on the Europa League. The Australian won the trophy last season of course, before being dismissed from his position in North London.
And tonight he’s gearing up to face a familiar opposition from his time at Celtic – the very first European tie he faced. He reflected on it in his pre-match press conferences.
Ange Postecoglou on facing Midtjylland with Celtic
The Hoops faced the Danish side with a significantly reduced crowd at home due to Covid restrictions, and drew 1-1 after a howler by Vasilis Barkas.
Away from home, a sensational volley from Callum McGregor wasn’t enough to prevent a Midtjylland win in extra time.
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Ahead of facing the side with his new club, the Australian looked back on the Celtic encounter from four years ago.
He said: “Yeah, tough games. It was early period at Celtic, and I don’t think we’d won a game in five or six – that’s familiar territory for me!
“And they were tough games, home and away. Really good big challenges for us, and I thought it was a great atmosphere at Celtic Park but it was a really tight game.
“At Midtjylland it was tough, at the time I thought they had a really strong team. They were competing in Europe and making an impact in Europe as well.
“but in terms of the style, not too much different – very direct, and a couple of great set piece specialists at the time, with a couple of the Brazilian lads they had. It was a tough game but it was a great experience.
“I loved it, but it was probably my third or fourth game I had in charge of Celtic, and it was the early stages, a bit like here where we were playing ok but didn’t have the results.
“But I felt that even though we didn’t get through, we still gained a lot of belief from our football in those games.”
Ange Postecoglou could face Celtic in later Europa League rounds
Celtic are aiming to qualify for the later rounds of the competition, and that process begins with tonight’s match against Braga.
If both Celtic and Forest make it through, there is a possibility that Postecoglou could be returning to Celtic Park.
The Australian returned to Glasgow last season when Tottenham faced Rangers. The game finished with a 1-1 draw.
Knowing the Hoops’ luck in draws, it would be typical to be given a match with the manager who won this exact competition last season.
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