When Ange Postecoglou was appointed, many people could not have foreseen the changes that were about to come to Celtic.
Postecoglou had completely revolutionised the way Celtic play football. A high-risk attacking strategy that can, at times, leave areas of the pitch exposed. That is not easy to get right. Mistakes will be made.
So to make that style successful, it requires the player’s complete trust in the process. And Joe Hart has revealed how Ange got that buy-in from the squad.
Hart said [The Irish News], “He is top, he is really, really good.
“He is really clear in what he wants and the biggest buzz for me is I am playing for someone who is pushing me and I am learning new things every single day.
“I’m an old dog in this game and the fact that I am having to do that and stay on my toes and still want more and trying to improve is a great feeling. It makes me feel alive.
“It’s great to constantly be pushed and get results from it. It’s all very well, there are plenty of managers out there who will push and it doesn’t necessarily work, or players don’t adapt. Credit to the players and staff, we have been able to pull in the same direction and get results.
“I love being part of that. I have played in different teams that have been successful. Identity in football has always been there, but in terms of having a real way of playing, this is the first time I have been part of a team with a real way of playing.
“We live and die by it. I love that opportunity. There’s been many coaches and managers I’m sure out there who say, ‘Look, this is how I want you to play and, if it doesn’t (work), it’s on me’. I have heard that many times.
“But I genuinely feel comfortable making risky passes, short passes, and if someone does miss a pass or a tackle and the ball goes in, I don’t think any of us would even flinch because that’s what we are being asked to do.
“We believe what we have been asked to do and we are enjoying trying to be better at it.”
Hart has played for many clubs in his career. From his twelve years at Manchester City to his various loan spells that included clubs like West Ham, Torino and Birmingham City, to say that he has never experienced the kind of football that he is enjoying at Celtic really is a great compliment to the manager.
Hart is clearly loving life at Celtic. In two years he has picked up four medals and he will, hopefully, pick up his fifth in June by lifting the Scottish Cup.
You just get the feeling from the former England international that he is enjoying his football now more than at any other time in his career.
And that is down to one man. Ange Postecoglou.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
