Q. (the)Rangers reached the Europa League final, what are your thoughts on that, what does it say about the levels of Scottish football and what does it say about your team as you are six points ahead of them in the league?
Ange Postecoglou: “They have done awfully well and they have deserved it and they were the better team over the two legs in the semi-final. They have been really strong in Europe all year and it has been a tough week for them with the passing of Jimmy Bell. Whenever you work inside a football club and you lose someone as being such an integral part of the fabric it must have been a tough week for the players and the staff who dealt with.
“They are a very good football team and deserve to be in the final but they proved that last season when they went through the season undefeated which is no mean feat and this year with strong performances in pretty much all of the competitions. For us, I knew that was going to be our biggest challenge this season apart from our own form and how we performed and I knew if we were going to be successful we would have to overcome a pretty formidable opponent.”
Q: They could win the Europa League final and there could be two Scottish teams in the group stages of the Champions League – that would be brilliant, wouldn’t it?
Ange Postecoglou: “Yes, it would definitely. I think both clubs would have earned it.”
Q: Did that Champions League spot add a wee bit of extra pressure this season because it was such an important thing to get?
Ange Postecoglou: “I don’t know if it was pressure but I definitely saw it as an opportunity. It was pretty evident early on that whoever won the league then there was a good chance they would go straight into the Champions League group stages.
“I saw it as a great opportunity for us after the disappointment of last season and if we were successful then it guaranteed us a chance to play in the greatest competition in Europe. I knew if we could get everything right and win the competition this year then it was an extra carrot for sure.”
