Ange Postecoglou was in extra-special form in his pre-match interview ahead of the League Cup Final this afternoon against theRangers at Hampden. The Celtic manager explained his own personal motivation to do the job that he does, explains why Celtic have yet to blow a team away at Hampden and regrets his own childish behaviour after the Scottish Cup semi-final defeat last April.
“I love winning. It’s just the way I am as a person,” the Celtic manager said as reported by Daily Record. “So, obviously, I’m not a fan of losing. I don’t take defeats well. But it’s the winning that drives me more than a fear of losing. I just enjoy winning. I enjoy what it does to people or groups, to achieve it.
“I enjoy building teams, that process. But it’s got to be building to an end goal. And that’s to win things. The reason I’m passionate about my team playing a certain way is that I love success. It’s why I continue to coach the way I do and play the way I do. Because I want to keep winning.
“When I lost the semi-final at Hampden, my three best friends and their wives were over here from Australia. My wife had dinner booked that night and I didn’t turn up. They’d come halfway round the world and my wife had to entertain them.
“It was pretty childish from me. But they understood and it was fine. I don’t take losing well. Everyone wants to win. But for me, it’s important that it’s not just about winning.
“Whilst others are just chasing the victory, I’m chasing more than that. I’m chasing a win, playing a certain way. We’re getting Celtic Park packed out every week not just because we’re winning. The fans enjoy watching this team play and that’s important.
“I love that. It motivates me to get up in the morning. It’s not just about struggling your way through, winning 1-0 and being satisfied with that. It’s about winning and scoring goals. That’s the bit I really love. When that’s your driver you’re never going to stand still or bask in the glory of a victory.
“You’ll always go for the next one, with a better performance. If you want to stay in this game for a long time, I think that’s the point of difference. There isn’t a manager out there who doesn’t want to win. But to last, it has to be something more that drives you.”
Ange was asked if his Celtic teams had so far under-performed at the national stadium. “I get what you’re saying. You have to understand there’s a reason for that. There are very few semi-finals or finals where one team blitzes the other.
“There’s just so much at stake. It’s not like a league game when you get on top of your opponents, build up a head of steam, dominate and blow them away.
“But in a semi or final? They’re not going to give up until the very last whistle. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, they’ll fight tooth and nail to stay in the game. So any time you win a semi or final, it’s an achievement. Because you’ve had to overcome a very determined opponent.
“It would be great to have a sparkling performance. But the semis or finals I’ve been involved in throughout my career have rarely turned out that way. I’ve been fortunate to win a few and they’ve always been on a knife edge. But the teams I’ve had have always found a way to win and get the trophy.”
One thing Ange will not concern himself about prior to kick-off is the possible intervention of VAR which has been fairly anti-Celtic in its implementation since it started at Tynecastle last October.
“I don’t worry about it. I’ve had my say on VAR. But I’ve never gone into a game worried about decisions the referee is going to make. The beauty of this game is that no one can write a script on how it’s going to go on Sunday.
“Something can happen in the first minute that changes the dynamic. A mistake, a referee’s decision, a moment of magic from someone – we can’t control those things.
“But we can deal with them if we do the stuff we control well. I don’t let it enter my thinking and the players are the same. What it is out there we have to overcome, we have to find a way to do it.”
Ange Postecoglou will have prepared his team as thoroughly as possible and will be confident that his team will prevail against the noisy neighbours. If Celtic perform as they can we really could be in for a very special afternoon at Hampden.
See you at Hampden or on the other side. Come on Celtic!
Celtic fans chant “Jota on the wing” being covered on BBC Radio 5 Live @CelticFC pic.twitter.com/yE9oPyplcP
— Fitba Culture 🏴 (@fitbaculture) February 25, 2023
