Former Celtic striker and BT Sports pundit Chris Sutton has been mightily impressed with Ange Postecoglou sides this season, particularly after the 3-0 victory against Rangers on Wednesday night.
But what impressed the Englishman the most in the aftermath of the win was the former Socceroos boss reaction to the win, and the nature of the way he spoke, which will give his side’ genuine belief’ in the title race, claims Sutton.
Writing in his weekly column for the Daily Record, Sutton detailed the attitude of Postecoglou and his players, who enjoyed the derby win, but not too much, as their focus switched to the next game, which Sutton could go a long way in the title race this season.
“Ange Postecoglou has shown himself to be spot-on with his tactics.
“But what is just as impressive about the Celtic manager are his talks.
“And it’s his straight-to-the-point and grounded assessments which offer genuine belief that his team might just do the incredible and go on to win the Premiership title.
“Postecoglou’s philosophy on the pitch has Celtic rocking again.
“The stadium was electric as his team put an end to their run over two years without a win against Rangers in stunning style.
“It was a dynamic performance, and Postecoglou had every right to enjoy it and milk it at full-time.
“But he was barely off the park, and the really impressive bit began.
“Straight away, he was bringing everyone connected with Celtic right back to the ground with his words.
“He said before the game that nothing is decided in February, and that wasn’t going to change in the wake of the win.
“It was a perfect pitch, just the right tone.
“The mantra was simple. You’ve done well, lads, but the hard work is nowhere near done.
“I noticed Callum McGregor also going around the park during those immediate moments after the game when Celtic were thanking the fans for their support.
“He was making sure no one was going overboard with celebrations. McGregor knows what it needed at the club and was driving home the point that one win isn’t enough.
“Remember what happened when Steven Gerrard and his Rangers players were bouncing around like the title was won after winning one game at Celtic Park?
“That is the perfect proof of why everyone inside the home team had to stay on point.
“Postecoglou knows it. He knows people had his team written off back in the early weeks of the season, and that has been proven nonsense.
“Now he’ll know it’s just as nonsensical for anyone inside the camp to think the hard work is done.
“It most certainly is not, and the way he and his captain were getting that message across immediately to the new boys to get the minds on Motherwell tomorrow was key.”
An impressive attribute of Postecoglou since his arrival in the summer has been his ability to remain level headed no matter the result, going into each game with the same frame of mind.
That sort of attitude could be crucial in this seasons title race, with it currently only being a one-point gap between the sides, and every game from now until the end of the season holds equal importance.
Starting on Thursday, I’m sure Ange would have had his squad back in the frame of mind after enjoying Wednesday’s win and back preparing for Sunday’s trip to face Motherwell.
