Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has urged his side to bounce back after Thursday evening’s disappointing defeat to the hands of Norwegian Champions Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League.
The 56-year old’s side have been on a superb run of form, which has seen them take top spot at the top of the Scottish Premiership and secure a place in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.
However, they were left extremely frustrated with the end result in midweek, with the well-drilled Bodo/Glimt side coming away with a victory in the first leg.
As quoted by the Daily Record, Postecoglou used the analogy of a boxer being punched to urge his side to take the knock and bounce back right away from the defeat, insisting that his side can’t feel sorry for themselves.
He said: “You have got to take a punch like you’re a good boxer and show, okay, it happens to the best.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Ultimately, this is part of football. You have got to take the knocks.
“It is not just about feeling good and going around beating teams.
“We have just got to dust ourselves off, not feel sorry for ourselves.
“The next challenge is Sunday; that is our focus. We want to continue our good form in the league, and Sunday is an opportunity to do that.
“Every challenge is a new one. This is another one for us. It [Bodo/Glimt] is the first game we have lost in quite a while, and how we react to it is obviously going to be important. We’ll see.
“So far this season, we’ve reacted to challenges really well, but it’s another one, and we have to show the right kind of reaction.”
Ultimately, Thursday will be looked back on as a frustrating night for all those involved at Celtic. Whether that be the management/playing staff or the fans.
However, Postecoglou is correct to insist that his side cannot dwell on the disappointment of that game, with another big fixture in the league on the horizon tomorrow.
Thursday will be a whole new matter to focus on, come Sunday at 5 PM. For now, the squad must get back to the mindset and performance levels we know they are capable of, picking up another three points.
