"Mentally he is in a great space"; Ange Postecoglou's Jota comments bode well for Celtic

By John McGinley

February 4, 2023

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is excited by what he’s seeing from Jota right now, suggesting the winger is ready to hit the heights again in this Bhoys team.

Jota had a lightning start to the season but illness and injury issues derailed his season a little, with the winger going through a spell of eight games without a goal.

He has two in his last five, however, and is looking brighter from match to match – something which Postecoglou has noted before tomorrow’s trip to St Johnstone.

Postecoglou lauds “outstanding” Jota

As quoted by The Daily Record, he said: “People forget that Jota had an unbelievable start to the season. He was incredible in the first few months and then he picked up an injury, and also had a bit of illness. But I agree, he has been outstanding for us in the last couple of weeks. He has looked really bright with the ball, he is working hard and physically he is in great shape.

“Mentally he is in a great space and that is great for us. It all means he can finish the season really strong. If he is at his best, he isn’t just a fantastic player for us but he is one who all our supporters love to watch. It’s exciting every time he gets the ball.

“I don’t think there would ever be a point where Jota doesn’t love what he is doing. But like every footballer, you want to feel in a good condition to give the best of yourself. If you aren’t, you can get frustrated as you want to do things, you aren’t able to. But he’s in a great space now and that’s great for us.”

Jota could hit a goalscoring burst again

Jota hit seven goals in his first 14 matches this season, including efforts against Rangers, RB Leipzig and Real Madrid. He was on an absolute tear.

If he gets back to that kind of contribution in the tail-end of the campaign, the winger will be a massive part of any trophy success we have.

The Portuguese could well be the next player to hit the double figures mark for the Bhoys this season after Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada. He currently sits on nine in total.

Hopefully we get to see him in full flow at McDiarmid Park.

In other news, Greg Taylor delivers verdict on Celtic teammate Alistair Johnston.