JOSIP JURANOVIC has insisted that there is no bad blood between any players if they are left on the bench.
The Croatian has revealed that players are not fighting for places. They recognise that there is tough competition but trust the manager to make the right calls.
As quoted by the Daily Record, Josip stated;
“There is competition for places but we don’t see it like we are fighting each other. We have friendships and we will give everything for each other on the pitch. It doesn’t matter if I am on the bench and Anthony Ralston is playing, we know we have that quality player playing instead.
“That’s what happens at a big club like Celtic. We know we need to continue this now. We have a lot of players in the squad and you only have to look at the bench against St Johnstone. We have boys who can come on and make the difference for us. There is such strength and depth in the team.
“Even in training every day, the boys have to be at their best as we are fighting to get a place in the team. Because of that it helps the team reach high standards.”
There is an apparent unity and togetherness amongst the squad.
Interestingly, he uses his own situation. Ralston has been superb this season, barely putting a foot wrong, so dropping him seems unjustified, but Juranovic is the better player. Although Ralston brings something different to the team, the manager has opted to play him over the summer signing.
The Celtic manager is given the hard job of choosing between quality players. In recent weeks, the Aussie boss has had to leave Matt O’Riley on the bench as there is simply no space in the team for him.
Having a squad packed with quality allows Postecoglou to bring on players who will maintain performance levels and change the game.
Juranovic’s comments reflect the fans’ thoughts; players and fans alike have complete faith in the manager.
