Ange Postecoglou spoke to Celtic TV after the game on Saturday afternoon and was extremely pleased with the way in which his side nullified the opposition at a tough away venue. Visiting Tyncastle on league duty is one thing, but going into that potential powderkeg during a Scottish Cup Quarter-final tie is another thing entirely.
Despite the fact that we all thought this one would perhaps be one of the toughest challenges of the season so far, the Bhoys absolutely put us all at ease by dismantling the Gorgie outfit and sending us into the Semi-finals at Hampden Park. It will be another occasion to relish as we await the result of the draw once Falkirk and Ayr United complete their match later on tonight.
However, Ange was asked about his thoughts on the match against Hearts at the weekend, and this is what he had to say about that complete performance: “I’m really pleased, we knew this was going to be a challenging week for us with three games, two of them away from home and a big cup game to end the week, so I’m really pleased with the way that the lads have handled that.We got off to a great start today and that set us off, so it was a really strong performance away from home.
“I thought that was important today, when you come to Tynecastle you don’t want to give their crowd too much to be up about, particularly early in the game. So we spoke about that – again, speaking about it is one thing, but the lads really got into the game really quickly and with the quality of our football, we had a chance really early on and scored a good goal. The most important thing is that we didn’t really give them any oxygen to get a breather in that first part, and I thought that sent us away.”
His team certainly did it in style as they usually always do, with his former midfielder at international level with Australia, Aaron Mooy, getting the first with a wonderful first time effort – guiding the ball past a helpless Zander Clark. “He’s a good player, he’s a very good player, he said of his countryman. “He’s a really key contributor to us now, it’s just as much about his calmness and his ability to not let circumstances or surroundings affect what he does. He’s a player that has played at the highest level and you see that quality.”
And on Kyogo, he added: “He had to work hard, it hasn’t been an easy week for him as he’s been leading the line for the three games and that takes a toll, but he’s still got to be sharp. He’s always there, he’s always in the areas where he needs to be and he was today. You could see his fatigue towards the end, but again it was great for him to get a goal as a reward for his efforts.”
The boss has consistently praised his defensive line this year and hasn’t been shy about putting the limelight onto Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt at times too. Carter-Vickers got himself on the scoresheet with the third that killed off Hearts completely and booked our place at the national stadium for the Semi-final. Unfortunately, Carl Starfelt had to be replaced due to injury but Yuki Kobayashi stepped in and played like he has been there from the start of Ange’s tenure at Celtic Park. He added: “We knew there would be moments today, it doesn’t matter how much we dominate, they potentially could cause some problems.
“Joe’s made a great save – again, what he’s needed to do, he’s done for us – the back four, the two full-backs were outstanding. Unfortunately, Carl had a hip problem and he struggled through the first half, but Yuki came on and it was great for him to get some game-time, and you saw his quality when he played so it was a pleasing all-round effort.”
Paul Gillespie
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