It’s back. Celtic will be in action on Wednesday for the first time in over seven weeks.
A lot has changed since that fittingly disappointing 0-0 draw at Easter Road on the final day of last season. We have a new manager, some new faces, and a renewed sense of determination.
Indeed, we all like what we’ve seen so far from new boss Ange Postecoglou. He’s a straight-talker and appears to have the right attitude to be a success at Celtic Park. But the proof will be in the matches, and whilst our game vs Sheffield Wednesday in two days is only our first pre-season game, he’ll want to get off to a winning start and begin to build momentum.
And below, we take a look at three burning questions on Celtic that will be answered when we face the Championship outfit:
1. What is Ange Postecoglou’s preferred Celtic formation?
This could perhaps take a few games for him to work out, but Ange Postecoglou will have an idea of how he wants his Celtic side to step up.
As of yet, he’s still to provide much information on what system he would like to use at Celtic. But don’t be fooled by the 4-2-3-1 formation utilised often with Yokohama F.Marinos. Postecoglou isn’t one to stick to the exact same formation everywhere he goes.
During his Australia days, they were known for their interesting 3-2-4-1 tactical set-up. That was all about building out from the back and using two 6s and 10s to easily break opposition lines. The idea of that being utilised at Celtic, however, feels unlikely.
With Brisbane Road, meanwhile, he utilised a stable 4-3-3 formation. The fact is there are so many methods and shapes that Postecoglou is used to. It could be the case that we mix it up throughout the season depending on the task.
But in our first pre-season game with not many before Midtjylland, I would expect the manager to be trying to hammer home his preferred system immediately.
2. Who is Postecoglou’s Celtic number 1?
As of yet, we haven’t signed a goalkeeper. Mat Ryan looks to be off to Real Sociedad [Daily Mail], whilst Freddie Woodman could be heading to Arsenal [The Chronicle]. Those are the two main goalkeeping targets the Hoops have been linked with this summer.
So ahead of Wednesday, Postecoglou has one of three options to choose. Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain, or Conor Hazard. Not one of them impressed to any great degree last season.
The trio mixed and matched the number one responsibilities last season. Bain, however, managed to bag the most outings with 23 appearances to his name. Unfortunately, he conceded 30 goals in the process [Transfermarkt].
With Bain having already proven he isn’t good enough, it could be between Barkas and Hazard. With Postecoglou’s tendency to go with you, don’t be surprised if Hazard is given a big opportunity over the next week.
For me, I think he’ll stick with Barkas after the Greek managed to end the previous campaign with back-to-back clean sheets. But it’s one of the major questions the new Celtic boss is yet to answer. More than one stopper will play against Wednesday given it’s a pre-season game, but whoever starts the match will be in the best position for Midtjylland – so long as they perform on Wednesday.
3. Are Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide first-team ready?
Two new faces have been added to the ranks this summer already. Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide have arrived from, you guessed it, Sheffield Wednesday.
The irony isn’t lost on any of us. The Wednesday fans have been left cursing Celtic for taking their top talents. But the only thing on our minds is whether the duo is good enough to play regularly at Parkhead.
Whilst both clearly have big potential, what about the here and now? Between them, they only have 49 senior appearances to their name. However, both have shown during their appearances with the Owls that they have raw talent.
Celtic fans will hopefully see them in action for the first time in two days. And only then will we be able to find out whether they’re first-team ready when it comes to the Parkhead club. Both are about to find out the pressures of playing for Celtic are a whole lot bigger than what they’ve been used to.
It’ll be interesting to see how long Postecoglou gives them against their former club. But if it’s substantial, that’ll be a key sign that the manager wants them in and around the first-team squad this season.
In other news, Celtic fans will hopefully see two big renaissance stories in the next nine days.
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