The Celtic advantage that's delighting manager Ange Postecoglou

By Euan Davidson

March 26, 2022

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has praised his multitude of scoring options as the Hoops embark on the most crucial part of the season.

Time and again, Celtic have dealt with injury woes to key contributors. David Turnbull and Kyogo Furuhashi were both top scorers in the first six months of the season, but suffered injury problems. Jota has had niggles, as have Giorgos Giakoumakis, Albian Ajeti and more.

Yet, Celtic continually blow teams away, and it’s not an accident. Earlier this month, yours truly covered this exact topic. We told you that 21 different Celtic players have hit the back of the net in 21-22.

Hardly a bad thing, now, is it?

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou reflected on this fact, and said the Hoops haven’t just relied on individuals. He said [Sun]: “The pleasing thing for me is we have had a good share of goal-scorers.

“Players have made an impact at different times. Earlier in the year it was Kyogo and Turnbull. Liel Abada has scored a lot, as has Jota. Giakoumakis is doing it at present and Tommy Rogic has also chipped in.

“That’s been really important for us and it’s a big reason for our consistency, as we haven’t just relied on one or two players.

“Giakoumakis and Daizen [Maeda] have been getting in among it recently and that’s been great for them.”

Ange Postecoglou has rapidly built an embarrassment of scoring riches for Celtic

Let’s have a quick look at the Celtic scoring charts this season, shall we?

Across all competitions, Celtic have four players in double-figures; Kyogo, Abada Giakoumakis and Jota.

Most likely, that quartet will be joined by Turnbull (9), Maeda (6) and Rogic (5), if Celtic continue to play the way they have been over recent games. Even Anthony Ralston has 5 goals to his name this season.

It’s so important that Celtic can spread the scoring responsibilities across the squad, and Postecoglou seems delighted by it. The folly of relying on one or two players was pretty evident last season; if Elyounoussi, Christie and Edouard weren’t playing, goals seemed at a premium.

That can’t be the case. And while it’s fun to latch onto guys like Kyogo and – more recently – Giakoumakis, it’s a real team effort this season.

That’ll be really crucial going into the latter stages of the season. Not everyone can perform to optimum levels every week.

Knowing there are a litany of players who can pop up and make a difference? That’s a huge comfort, but it’s also by design.

Read more: Chris Sutton compares Celtic boss Postecoglou to Del Trotter in unique compliment