Why international break has come at perfect time for Celtic

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Yes, I know; for Celtic obsessives like you and me, the international break feels almost cruel.

After the disappointment of last Sunday, but the excitement of having new players through the door, there’s an urge to watch the Hoops in action rather than seeing Scotland toil against Denmark [BBC]. However devoted you are to your national team, it just doesn’t hit quite the same way.

We won’t see the Bhoys in action until next Saturday. That time is dragging on and on, especially with so few Celtic players involved for Scotland.

At least Irish fans will get to see new Bhoy Liam Scales in action. If you’re up for watching Greece or Japan, you might see Giakoumakis and/or Kyogo. Tom Rogic is back for Australia. That’s something, at least.

But no, it’s not the same.

Here though; what if it’s actually perfect timing? Before you click the big “X” at the top corner, hear me out.

Celtic have been given about two weeks to just slow things down. Yes, plenty of international players won’t be at Lennoxtown to gel with the new guys. Ange Postecoglou has admitted that training has been scarce with the fast-paced schedule [Celtic FC]. These things are true.

But with the new guys coming in, and Postecoglou bemoaning a lack of time on the training pitch, maybe this is actually well-timed.

Why would Celtic fans welcome an international break? Well…

Firstly, because the aforementioned new signings, even those brought in earlier in the summer, have barely had time to adjust.

Players, like anyone, are better when they’re more used to their surroundings. They’ll have time to arrange accommodation, move their families over, get to know the area, and all the rest. That’ll help, for those who haven’t been called up.

For those who are away on international duty, there’s a chance to learn from their teammates, reflect on their performances thus far, and come back renewed. Never a bad thing.

This is also the case for Ange Postecoglou himself. Talk about learning on the job; the guy moved from Japan and barely had a minute to implement his ideas, let alone get used to living in Glasgow.

Time to tweak, adjust and motivate

There are clichés about international break. The consensus seems to be that if you’ve just won, you don’t want to pause club football because you have momentum. Conversely, the idea seems to be the same if you’ve lost, because you want to immediately correct that.

Sure, there’s a degree of truth to both arguments. I think it’s particularly true of Celtic, after Ibrox.

Because the Bhoys were agonisingly close to taking something from that game, perhaps even all three points. But glaring deficiencies, namely set-pieces, caused a problem.

So, Postecoglou and his coaches have time to formulate a better response to corners and free-kicks. That’s surely something to be encouraged.

While, from a mental perspective, marinating on a defeat gives the perfect incentive for players, coaches and everyone at the club. Instead of another two games this week, there’s the opportunity to focus on individual and team ambitions for the season. To focus on what went wrong, how to fix it, and what can be improved upon.

So yes, it’s maybe a bit boring, compared to the ultra-attacking football under Postecoglou. For Scotland fans, as per, it’s a frustrating experience at the best of times. But for Celtic, the calendar might just’ve been kind to us here.

In other news: who are Celtic’s Best XI right now?