Ahead of the Cup Final on Sunday Ange Postecoglou was asked by Celtic TV what impressed him most about his team this season and the answer he gave makes painful reading for the Ibrox support who endured another Blue Monday yesterday after the Australian masterminded another Beautiful Sunday at Hampden for the Celtic support.
“I think the team’s progression. We got off to a great start in terms of our season,” Ange stated. “Performances were strong and results were obviously good. We had the slight blip against St Mirren, but aside from that, taking into account Champions League football, fixture schedules, the consistency of the boys.
“More importantly I have said the progression in the team. We are still evolving and getting stronger. Post the break I think there have been some of our strongest performances. That is the pleasing aspect and we need to keep doing that until the end of the year.”
The fact that the St Mirren game last September still merits a mention maybe tells it’s own story and of course Celtic make the return trip to Paisley this weekend where there won’t be the same level or squad rotation and the Celtic manager puts out his strongest side, maybe making one or two changes to the starting eleven from the 2-1 League Cup Final win over theRangers.
St Mirren will be looking at similar tactics, indeed why shouldn’t they? They will slow the game down at every opportunity, their ballboys will be uncooperative to the Celtic intensity and we’ll see players having to go and take the ball from their arms. It’s not something that Celtic will complain about but certainly Ange Postecoglou will be preparing for it.
Of course Celtic have had recent comfortable victories over St Mirren in the league and Scottish Cup in matches played at Celtic Park. But it will be tougher at the SMiSA Stadium on Sunday where the Celtic players will be looking to put the ghost of that 2-0 defeat to bed once and for all, and in doing so maybe stop their manager from going on about it all the time. Indeed that might be the little bit of extra motivation that ensures that this Sunday coming Celtic will be putting on a show in Paisley.
One thing that should be a given ahead of this weekend is that Ange makes sure that that dreadful grey third strip in not used.
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