Soccer Football - Champions League - Group H - Celtic v Real Madrid - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - September 6, 2022
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou looks dejected after the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
“I was a bit frustrated and disappointed” – Ange Gets Honest After Madrid Defeat
Ange Postecoglou has urged his players to give a complete performance to try and get three points as Celtic take on Shakhtar Donetsk.
Celtic created multiple good chances in their match against Real Madrid last week but failed to take their chances and were ultimately punished.
The Scottish champions held Los Blancos 0-0 at the break with it still being all to play for in the second half.
Celtic have rightfully received praise for the way in which the team attacked the game and went toe-to-toe with the Spanish champions but now Postecoglou wants his team to show greater resilience and put in a full performance they can be proud of.
Soccer Football – Champions League – Group H – Celtic v Real Madrid – Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – September 6, 2022 Celtic’s Callum McGregor with teammates look dejected after the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
Carlo Ancelotti even praised Celtic for the way they went at the European champions but from what Postecoglou he was left disappointed that the Hoops didn’t take anything from the game.
In recent years, the cliche surrounding Celtic performances in Europe has been “what if” but Postecoglou won’t buy into that narrative and expects his players to leave everything on the park.
“I was a bit frustrated and disappointed because it’s not just about playing our football for a certain amount of time,” said Ange Postecoglou speaking to STV News.
“I don’t see any reason why we couldn’t have done that for longer.
“In the context of who we were playing against, I understand that you are playing against one of the best teams in the world at the moment, maybe the best.
“And for us to be able to match them by playing our football was encouraging, but I didn’t see any reason why that couldn’t continue beyond the time it did.
Soccer Football – Champions League – Group H – Celtic v Real Madrid – Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – September 6, 2022 Celtic’s Liel Abada shoots at goal REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
“Looking back, the disappointing thing was, when we conceded, we conceded again quickly. There was no need to.
“If we had hung in the game there’s always the chance to create again and just because you concede to them, an unbelievable team, we should have just got back to it and kept playing our football. In the end we lose 3-0.
“As encouraging as it was, for me, we could have been more competitive for longer in that game. But that’s the levels we are at.
“We want to compete at this level, that’s what you’ve got to do. At this level 60 minutes is never going to be enough. You have to make sure you see the game out and be resilient when you need to.”
Soccer Football – Champions League – Group H – Celtic v Real Madrid – Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – September 6, 2022 Celtic’s Joe Hart looks dejected after Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard scores their third goal Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
Shakhtar will head into this game on a high having thumped RB Leipzig 4-1 away from home in matchday one in what could be described as a smash and grab performance.
There is no doubt that Postecoglou’s side will be set up to beat Shakhtar Donetsk tonight and get the first points of the group stage.
