Celtic defender Greg Taylor has admitted he was left surprised by the way Aberdeen set up against Ange Postecoglou’s side on Saturday.
The Hoops made their long-awaited return to competitive action this past weekend as they travelled up to Pittodrie looking to continue their strong start.
Jim Goodwin’s side were expected to pose a tough test for the Bhoys, with their home form being particularly impressive so far this campaign.
It was another tightly contested fixture between the two sides in terms of scoreline, with Celtic coming out on top as 1-0 winners thanks to a late Callum McGregor strike.
The scoreline may have been close, however, the run of play was far from it, with the Bhoys enjoying one of their more dominant displays in possession this season.
This was arguably in part due to Aberdeen’s setup, with Jim Goodwin putting out his side to defend in the hope of holding on and catching Ange Postecoglou’s side off guard.
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However, it certainly didn’t go that way for the Dons, who posed no threat to Joe Hart’s goal on Saturday afternoon and came away with nothing from the game.
Speaking in the aftermath of the result, Celtic defender Greg Taylor admitted he was left a little surprised to see Aberdeen’s set-up at Pittodrie.
The defensive nature of Aberdeen’s performance wasn’t something that affected Taylor and his teammates, though, as the left-back reiterated the importance of the Hoops philosophy under Postecoglou.
He said [The Scotsman]: “Yes, probably,” defender Greg Taylor replied if asked he was surprised by Aberdeen’s approach’.
“If I’m honest, we expected them to come out and have more of a go. But every team has their belief if how they can get a result against us, so fair play to them.
“They will probably feel because the game went on so long at 0-0 that, they were hard done by, but if we analyse the performance, they will realise there was only one team ever going to win the game.
“I don’t know what the possession stats were, but we dominated the ball and the chances. I think it would have been pretty harsh if we had not come away with the three points.
“We have a strong philosophy, a strong way of playing that we believe will give us success. It’s just a matter of sticking to it. Even if we had not got the goal, I think the manager said himself he would have been pretty pleased with our performance.
“Large parts of what he is looking for was there apart from creating that big chance or getting a goal. I’m glad we got the goal, but the performance was good.”
Relentless Celtic continue to showcase why there is no right way to try and stop Bhoys.
Ange Postecoglou’s side has enjoyed great success over the last 18 months, and that has led teams in the Scottish Premiership to try and figure out the best method to stop the Hoops.
Some teams have gone down the route Aberdeen attempted on Saturday, whilst others have tried to press the Hoops high up the park in the hope of putting us under pressure.
However, time and time again, the Bhoys have continued to come out on top in domestic action, barring a very small handful of slip-ups.
Whether you set up to play more defensively or you get on the front foot, Postecoglou and his squad always seem to find a way to win.
The ‘Never Stop’ attitude has been drilled into these players, and the performance against Aberdeen showcased the relentless nature of this team.
So, whilst the search goes on to find the most effective way to combat Ange Postecoglou and his team, the Bhoys continue to kick on in the Scottish Premiership.
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