Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has insisted he is impressed with Ange Postecoglou’s side ability to dig deep, which was evident in the late 2-1 victory over Ross County during the week.
Over the course of the season, Ange and his squad have shown plenty of impressive abilities, with several early results seeing the Hoops hand out home hammerings to the likes of St Mirren and Dundee.
However, there have now been points when they have shown another side of the game, in their ability to dig deep in order to grab three points, and Sutton is happy with the way they have made improvements, turning into a real force in this title race.
“You have to be impressed by what Postecoglou is getting out of this squad at the moment,” he said, writing in his weekly column for the Daily Record.
“In the early weeks of the season, you could see he had a team who could be thrilling at times and would knock teams over heavily.
“However, there was also a suspicion that if it got sticky and tough, they might slip. They might give too many goals away.
“To the second issue, they have the best defensive record in the league, with the backline and goalkeeper Joe Hart keeping it tight.
“On the first, they have shown they have some grit. This past week has shown us that Postecocoglou’s team can dig deep.
“They have basically played the last two games against Motherwell and Ross County without a single striker, and they have found a way.
“The way they got it done in stoppage time with only ten men on the park in Dingwall shows their courage and willingness to fight through a dodgy situation to emerge on top.
“Anthony Ralston was a fitting scorer. No one epitomises a never-say-die attitude more than him and the way he has grown, having been written off at the start of the season, mirrors that of his team.
“Celtic have shown they have steel to go with their style, and they might need it again at Hampden, depending on who they can get onto the pitch.”
This group of players have faced many difficult spells already this season, thanks to the injury issues throughout the squad at different points in the season.
However, they have continued to show improvements despite those adversities, which has allowed them to remain in the title race.
A result and performance such as Wednesday nights at Ross County is potentially something we have seen much of so far under Ange. But it is brilliant to see that they have that never say die attitude of many Celtic sides in the past.
