When the season started, any talk of a long-term Celtic unbeaten run seemed unfeasible, non-existent.
Against Hearts on opening day, Celtic looked naïve defensively, still waiting on Cameron Carter-Vickers to compliment Carl Starfelt. Against Rangers at Ibrox, another set-piece goal was our undoing. In September, an away loss to Livingston already had title talk looking extremely ambitious.
Yet, here were are; since that 1-0 defeat at the Tony Macaroni, Celtic have a domestic unbeaten run stretching 30 games, after Monday’s win against Dundee United. Our longest in recent history is, of course, the very nice 69-game run that Brendan Rodgers took us on. Hearts, very jarringly, stopped it being 70 in ruthless fashion.
Still, for as impressive a milestone as it is, the response has been… I don’t know, underwhelming? It’s hard to see any Celtic supporters getting really excited about it, let alone pundits acclaiming it in their masses. It’s because, perhaps, Ange Postecoglou has taken us back to a level we’ve become accustomed to.
Postecoglou, of course, knows a thing or two about unbeaten runs; prior to joining Celtic, he went 36 games without a loss at Brisbane Roar [BRFC], an Australian sporting record.
That particular feat is still remembered with hushed awe in Australian footballing circles. If he gets to 36 at Celtic, all it’ll mean is that we remain competing across all fronts, still very much in the title race. The stakes, then, are different. If you want an example of how high the standards are at Celtic Park, that’s surely it.
Celtic unbeaten run is testament to consistency instilled by Ange Postecoglou
Still, it’s a pretty significant achievement. We’ve found, over the course of the season, what we sorely lacked both last year and the start of this campaign – consistency.
There don’t seem to be many airs and graces about the characters in the Celtic team. They’re laser-focused, extremely motivated and, even when form dips, still able to pull results out of the bag. We’ve seen it in both the late wins against Dundee United and Ross County, or the more convincing displays, including the 3-0 win over Rangers, and the other night’s comfortable dismantling of Dundee United.
What’s central to this is that the players have bought in to what Ange Postecoglou wants from them. He’s unafraid of chopping and changing the team, and has a system that both first-team mainstays and fringe players have adjusted to, and excel in.
Again, and it bears repeating, nobody could’ve reasonably expected such ultra-consistency from Celtic this season.
There was absolutely no reason to expect it. It doesn’t matter how skilled the manager is, that many new players shouldn’t have gelled so quickly. That tactical style should’ve, in all reality, taken longer for players to implement.
But after a shaky start, Postecoglou has found a formula to keep this Celtic team unbeaten since September. It’s remarkable, whatever happens next.
It bodes well for the short-term, of course; there are massive games coming up.
Even better, though, it points to a future when Ange Postecoglou really has this squad how he likes it. Brendan Rodgers’ 69-game unbeaten record with Celtic looked pretty formidable before.
If this season proves anything though, it’s that our previously held ideas about what Celtic can do need re-examined.
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