Celtic: 'Outstanding' champions dispel manager Ange Postecoglou's doubts

1 year ago 32

Ange Postecoglou admits helium harboured doubts implicit Celtic's hunger to repetition their title-winning feat of past season. He needn't person worried.

Celtic are champions again aft an outstanding campaign, retaining the trophy with 4 games to spare acknowledgment to a 2-0 triumph implicit 10-man Hearts.

The treble is besides wrong touching distance, and Postecoglou marvelled astatine the "absolutely ridiculous standard" his squad person set.

"I'm conscionable truly proud," helium said.

"Having occurrence past year, you ever interest arsenic a manager - are they going to beryllium arsenic hungry? From the archetypal day, they haven't fto up and it's a recognition to each 1 of them.

"I thought we needed to beryllium a amended squad this twelvemonth to support our rubric because, peculiarly knowing we were going to beryllium successful the Champions League, you shouldn't underestimate the carnal and intelligence toll that takes retired of you.

"Through that clip our league signifier was outstanding. That's due to the fact that the full radical were prepared to thrust done that our main extremity of being champions again was ne'er going to beryllium derailed.

"I haven't had to intervene astatine each successful presumption of making definite we're backmost connected track. We've conscionable been relentless. It's been an outstanding season."

Having overhauled the squad and flooded a challenging commencement to triumph the rubric and League Cup successful his debut year, Postecoglou has continued driving Celtic guardant this season.

They person suffered 1 home defeat, distant to St Mirren successful September, which remains their sole nonaccomplishment successful the past 67 league matches.

The rubric is present successful the bag, but records stay up for grabs. Should Postecoglou's men triumph each 4 remaining games - starting with adjacent weekend's travel to Ibrox to look Old Firm rivals Rangers - they volition acceptable a caller Scottish top-flight points milestone of 107, eclipsing Brendan Rodger's treble-winning Invincibles of 2016-17.

And with Inverness Caledonian Thistle successful adjacent month's Scottish Cup last each that stands betwixt Celtic and a 5th treble successful 7 seasons, Postecoglou is adamant they volition not beryllium easing off.

"We inactive person 4 games to spell and a cupful last to hole for," helium added. "It's not implicit and we privation to decorativeness our play strong. These guys won't fto their standards slip."

'I'm emotional'

Feted by the Celtic support, Postecoglou has won 4 retired of 5 home trophies, and his exploits successful Glasgow proceed to spot him linked with jobs successful England's apical flight.

Another ace astatine the Champions League beckons adjacent season, and the 57-year-old Australian is blessed to unrecorded successful the infinitesimal arsenic helium paid tribute to the enactment of his household and friends.

"I seldom look beyond what's successful beforehand of me," helium added. "We'll bask contiguous due to the fact that it's a hard-earned title to triumph and we've done it successful unbelievable style. I'll bespeak connected what's adjacent aft the cupful final.

"I americium [emotional] due to the fact that you enactment a batch into it. I realise I americium doing what I emotion and I americium beauteous bully astatine it but it doesn't hap successful isolation.

"The radical astir you, whether it's my family, my woman and kids, my friends, and the enactment I person had wrong and extracurricular the shot club, you privation to wage that backmost arsenic well.

"All the sacrifices radical marque and the committedness and enactment they springiness me, it makes you affectional to deliberation about."

Celtic