Sutton’s Ange Defence

CHRIS SUTTON has backed Ange Postecoglou’s game plan after Celtic were soundly beaten 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Real Madrid were two goals up after 20 minutes, with it always going to be an uphill battle for Celtic. The team kept attacking, as Postecoglou would’ve insisted, and eventually got their reward when Jota scored a peach of a free-kick.

Some felt that Postecoglou could’ve set his team up in a more defensive way and avoided conceding five, but Sutton doesn’t think so. He used an example of when Rodgers tried to take a defensive approach to a match and still got skellped in the Nou Camp.

Writing in the Daily Record, the former Celtic man reasoned;

“It was worth a bash, but it might have been different if they needed a point to qualify. If this is Postecoglou’s approach and he wants players to learn and develop at this level, then there was nothing wrong with sticking to his principles. We know there are different ways to play.

“But who is to say Celtic would not have ended up in the same scenario if they’d taken a more defensive approach in this competition? Brendan Rodgers tried to change his style when he went to the Nou Camp with five at the back – and ended up shipping seven.

“He also found out the hard way the Champions League is a tough school. But I don’t think Celtic are a million miles away from being able to make an impact at this level. Some of the patterns of attacking play in this campaign were really impressive.”

Celtic showed their close to the required level throughout the group stages. They just need that experience and some development before next season, when Postecoglou will look to do better than this year.

It was a frustrating campaign, but it had its positives for players and fans.