The rest of Scottish Football should be concerned with the force Ange Postecoglou’s side could become after the winter break.
As the days go on, we are slowly edging closer to seeing the Bhoys back in competitive action on the 17th of December.
After a brilliant start to the Scottish Premiership season, winning 15 out of 16 league outings, the Hoops have showcased their quality in the opening half of the campaign.
With the World Cup currently taking place in Qatar, most of the Celtic focus has been on the members of Postecoglou’s squad representing their nation at the tournament.
The likes of Aaron Mooy and Josip Juranovic have been shining on the big stage against some of the best players from across the globe, which is only going to boost their confidence on their return to Glasgow.
So with that focus remaining on the Bhoys out in Qatar, a lot of the attention has been off those who remained in Scotland over November and December.
For the players who unfortunately missed out on the chance to play in the 2022 World Cup, they have instead spent the time resting and recuperating ahead of Celtic’s return to action later this month.
And the prospect of a fresh Celtic squad is a proposition that none of our Scottish Premiership rivals should be forgetting about.
In fact, many sides might be fearing coming up against Ange Postecoglou and his players off the back of a period of resting, which should see the Bhoys full firing on their return.
Fully fit and rested Celtic squad will leave SPFL sides fearing what is to come on their return.
Of course, all four players who were out in Qatar will need some more time to rest before they return to action in Scotland.
However, with the amount of depth in Ange Postecoglou’s squad, it is an exciting proposition that the vast majority of key players will be fully rested and ready to go for the second half of the campaign.
Important first-team stars, including the likes of Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Jota, will all be raring to go after over a month without a competitive fixture and the motivation of missing out on their international squad.
Whilst there is also the small matter of Celtic captain Callum McGregor returning to full fitness after several months out due to injury.
The Bhoys’ opening games in December and January are bound to be difficult tests, with trips to Pittodrie, Easter Road and Ibrox to come.
However, we go into these games not only full of confidence but also fully rested and excited to get going as we aim to extend our lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Watching Ange Postecoglou and his squad in action during the opening 16 games, the Hoops looked like a threat almost every time they went forward.
And that was during a busy spell of domestic and European games, which we came through almost unscathed in the league.
Now, we have had time to rest during the winter break, and there is also more time between games over the next few months to prepare on the training ground.
If we were a scary proposition before, then the Celtic manager may just be about to take that to the next level, with his key performers raring to go in the next half of the season.
In other news, “Very interested”; Martin O’Neill reflects on famous Celtic transfer rumour.
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