Viaplay Cup final: Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou eyes 'special season'

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has his sights connected a "special season" aft picking up the Viaplay Cup.

Celtic bask a nine-point pb successful the defence of the Premiership rubric and are successful the past 8 of the Scottish Cup.

"You commencement each play hoping it's a peculiar season," said Postecoglou erstwhile asked astir the imaginable of a treble.

"But we'll bask contiguous and it's important we observe contiguous due to the fact that the unit and the players, everyone astatine the shot nine person worked hard for this.

"The supporters excessively merit to observe this moment. But, erstwhile we've done that successful the close way, we'll absorption connected adjacent week against St Mirren."

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Celtic sojourn Paisley connected league work adjacent Sunday, the country of their lone home decision this season.

"We haven't had galore disconnected days due to the fact that we ne'er look excessively acold up and ne'er look to acold back," added Postecoglou. "That's wherefore we person been truthful relentless successful our approach.

"We've been accordant for a precise agelong time. We don't fto our standards gaffe successful presumption of our football."

'We earned it by doing each facets of the game'

No squad has ever relinquished a nine-point pb successful the closing 12 games of a apical formation campaign, truthful Postecoglou is good placed to lucifer the treble of his debut campaign.

If the Australian tin clinch the Scottish Cup too, it would beryllium a 5th treble for the nine successful 7 years.

Celtic controlled overmuch of the archetypal fractional astatine Hampden, with Kyogo making that superiority number with the archetypal of 2 close-range finishes connected 44 minutes.

His 2nd came soon aft Fashion Sakala had missed a large accidental to level and, erstwhile Rangers did get 1 backmost done Alfredo Morelos, Postecoglou's broadside stood steadfast to spot retired victory.

"It's a cupful last and seldom volition 1 broadside dominate, though I thought we were fantastic successful presumption of our shot successful specified a large crippled with the ambiance the mode it was, we scored 2 fantabulous goals," Postecoglou said.

"Credit to Rangers they stuck successful and went a spot much nonstop and we had to support a batch and they got immoderate encouragement from their goal.

"But we person a existent resilient radical of players and the backmost 4 were outstanding successful dealing with what they needed to woody with successful presumption of crosses.

"We had to navigate a sticky spot and finished beardown and astir apt should person enactment the crippled distant but we earned it by doing each the facets of the game."

'Only 1 operator astatine Celtic'

Celtic and Rangers past met successful a League Cup last successful December 2019.

Captain Callum McGregor was the lone subordinate from that 1-0 triumph 4 years agone to commencement astatine Hampden, which illustrates the standard of the overhaul nether Postecoglou's watch.

And it's a translation that's been overseen astir single-handedly.

"There's lone 1 operator astatine Celtic," said impressed erstwhile Rangers winger Neil McCann aft the final. "Ange is successful beforehand - and I don't spot him stopping.

"He's been a superb acquisition for the club. His thrust for occurrence and exertion levels person been rather incredible."