When you are the league’s entertainers, top scorers and sit top of the Scottish Premiership it is perfectly natural to expect the praise to go to your attacking players, yet Celtic as a unit are arguably even more impressive when it comes to their defensive attributes.
In 25 games Celtic have conceded a miserly 13 goals and it is that record, as much as the flair exhibited and goals scored at the other end of the pitch, that is just as responsible for Celtic being in pole position in the Premiership title race. It was a subject Ange Postecoglou was keen to touch on when asked in yesterday’s press conference, stating the art of Celtic’s defending was very much a team effort.
“From my perspective, it is about defending as a team. It is not just that we are not conceding goals. We are not giving up too many chances and that’s because we are working awfully hard as a group.
“It would be different if Joe was making outstanding saves every game and sometimes that can mask problems because when your goalkeeper is the man-of-the-match and you’ve kept a clean sheet then that does not necessarily mean you defended well.
“Everything we try and do on the defensive side is all about the collective and we have been really good at working hard. Our strikers work hard as well as our midfielders and when we are quiet our defenders and Joe are really disciplined to keep their concentration because they are not always involved. Whenever we have needed Joe to make a save, he has made a save. That’s a combination we need to keep improving on.”
And as a former defender himself – Postecoglou was a right-back during his playing career – the manager was keen to highlight the case for the defence and the mentality it takes to leave the ‘flashy ones’ to get the limelight and the bravery defenders need to exhibit in his system, when they may not have been so exposed at previous clubs.
“Yeah man, I was a defender too and I hated it when no matter what I did it was always the ones up front who got all the headlines.
“It’s been good. In many respects it’s part of the defenders’ character anyway – they don’t mind the flashy ones getting all the headlines because their job is to go out there and accomplish the task of keeping the opposition at bay. With all our defenders, they are enjoying our football. They understand that our ability to defend well relies on the guys up front to work really hard. The defenders have respect for how hard they are working, Joe Hart as well, so they don’t have to defend as much.
“The flip side of that is they are asked to play out a lot more than any other club and I think that’s where they gain the respect of their teammates because they understand for us to provide the opportunities for the strikers to get the glory, it wouldn’t happen if our back four and Joe weren’t playing out and being brave.
“And there’s always a danger when you play out you can stuff up and concede a goal. With all these things I think there is an appreciation for all these roles and the roles they play. While the headlines outside might be about different individuals, within these walls everyone’s role within that is appreciated and respected.”
Celtic head to Pittodrie tonight on the back of an upsurge in converting chances, but we also go there on the back of three consecutive clean sheets in the League.
It’s perfectly understandable the plaudits go to the attacking players, but again at Pittodrie this evening there will be just as much pressure on the backline to give the likes of Jota, Abada and Maeda the strong foundations to take the game to Aberdeen and take the risks with possession they need to impact games, and on recent results Celtic’s defence is in the sort of form to do just that.
Niall J
