Craig Levein reckons Celtic fans have to empathise with our new leader Ange Postecoglou and allow him time to get things right at Celtic Park. The former Scotland and Dundee United boss reckons Postecoglou can turn the tide after a few bad results of late – but has insisted Ange’s depleted squad has to heal quickly to stay in any form of title race.
The former Hearts manager said on BBC Sportsound:”A team the size of Celtic should have strength in depth. “I understand completely that the new manager’s just arrived and hasn’t had a lot of time. “It might just be that Celtic fans have to suffer for the time being and hope they get it right in January.”
Levein also stated that with so many of Celtic’s key players on the treatment table, Ange cannot challenge currently with the players he has available. He continued: At this minute in time, no. Because the players they need to do that are on the treatment table. “So it’s a simple answer: no.”
Levein also alluded to the fact that Christopher Jullien’s absence has been detrimental to the Club. He added: “If they don’t get Jullien back as soon as possible, I think they’ll struggle. “He’s the one with the pace and athleticism to do what the manager wants.” “I actually feel sorry for Ange because he’s brought in Giorgios Giakoumakis and he’s got injured in the warm-up. “I’ve seen that happen before but it’s extremely rare.”
There is certainly credence to what Levein has had to offer on the current state of play at Celtic Park. Without crucial parts of the machine, the engineer cannot make it work in unison. The salient point being that Celtic already started with the bare minimum this season, after a cull of a squad at the end of an era. With these key players Celtic and Ange are more than capable of making a title fight. Even after recent results the fans should still behind a project that is in its infancy, and remember there is plenty of football still to be played.