Celtic boss, Ange Postecoglou sat down with the mainstream media today to preview the Hoops’ upcoming cinch Premiership league fixture against Aberdeen. The last time we faced Aberdeen was on the 17 December, having just returned to domestic football following the break for the World Cup in Qatar.
That day, it was a very tight affair as the Bhoys stuck to their principles against a very negative Dons side. Jim Goodwin, recalling a 4-1 thumping at Ibrox earlier in the season decided to take a different tac when playing the Scottish Premiership Champions at Pittodrie that day, and whilst it very nearly saw him grab a point for a pathetic home display, our returning captain, Callum McGregor scored a wonderful goal from just outside the box to grasp no more than we deserved for our efforts.
Since then, Jim Goodwin has been another manager to say goodbye to the Granite City, following in the steps of Stephen Glass beforehand. With the team from the North East of the country struggling for form and problems that seem to just keep mounting, Dave Cormack has handed former Celtic midfielder, Barry Robson the poison chalice just now in the interim.
Postecoglou acknowledged that despite all the current problems that this Aberdeen side face, they can still hurt you, and he also revealed that he suspects the boys in red to be a different prospect under the ex-Celt Robbo. He said: “It’s always a challenge when you’re meeting a team with a new manager.
“Barry has had a couple of games now and they had a weekend without a game so he has time to work with the squad and get his message across. We know that at their best they are a very good side with good individual players that can hurt you, especially in an attacking sense and we’ve got to be ready for it. But at the same time, our form has been pretty good for a quite a while now and, particularly with being at home, if we start well and play at our tempo we know we will be hard to stop.”
It will be interesting to see how Robson approaches the game on Saturday afternoon at his old stomping ground. Undeniably, Celtic have the ability to pick you off and the scoreline could become a morale-sapping experience for an already morose Dons side. However, sitting in like Goodwin did up at Pittodrie before Christmas time is equally as punishing on the body and mind – especially so if you still come away with nothing to show for your efforts.
Something tells me Barry will try and strike a balance in that respect. It should be intriguing how he decides to play it come the weekend…
Watch Ange’s full media conference below…
Paul Gillespie
