ANGE Postecoglou has stressed that Celtic are still “nowhere near” the level he wants them to get to despite their emphatic 6-0 rout of cinch Premiership rivals Dundee at Parkhead on Sunday.
And he has told his players they need to perform like they did at the weekend every time they take to the field going forward ahead of the Europa League rematch with Jablonec in Glasgow on Thursday evening.
But Postecoglou, whose side hold a 4-2 lead from the first leg of the third qualifying round double header in the Czech Republic last week, is hopeful having a full house inside Celtic Park will help them to maintain their form.
“I didn’t buy in to it too much in the first couple of weeks, when things were not going that well,” he said. “I’m not getting carried away now. We’ve still got a long way to go.
“We have to play this kind of football on a consistent basis. We’re not going to win 6-0 every week. It might be 1-0, but we want to show that level of intent in every game.
“We’ve done that in previous games, but only for certain parts. In both Midtjylland games, the Hearts game, and again last midweek, we did it in bits. For us to be the team I want us to be we need to do it consistently for 90 minutes and over a series of games. We’re nowhere near it yet.”
Postecoglou added: “Thursday night is part of that. European football is very important to us. We’ve got ourselves in to a good position and there’s going to be a packed house here.
“I can’t wait to feel the atmosphere and I’m sure the players are looking forward to it. It’s a good opportunity for us to keep the momentum going.”
Asked how he had enjoyed Celtic playing in front of 24,500 fans against Dundee, Postecoglou said: “It was a massive buzz. How could it not be? Right from the moment the buses arrived.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to has told me it (the capacity crowd) is going to be pretty special, and I’m talking about people who have experienced some pretty unique atmospheres.
“I can see why. Every week we’ve been getting more and more in and it’s got louder and louder. The energy they bring is brilliant. A full house? I can’t wait.”
Postecoglou’s new signing Kyogo Furuhashi grabbed the headlines on Sunday by bagging a hat-trick on his home debut – but Tom Rogic also got on the scoresheet and the Celtic manager is confident his fellow Australian will be a key player for him going forward.
“I obviously know Tommy really well,” he said. “He had a tough year last year and a bit of an interrupted pre-season as well. He wasn’t really able to join the group until the last few weeks.
“But because I know him really well I didn’t want to throw him in straight away. He’s one I know we’ll need to build slowly.
“He’s still got the quality – you could see it in training and he was great on Sunday. It wasn’t just on the ball. He also worked hard defensively if we needed him. Tommy and David (Turnbull) had to work hard defensively because we couldn’t leave Callum (McGregor) isolated.
“It’s the same with Tommy as it is with all of the players. It’s my job to get the best out of them and hopefully help them realise their potential. I know him well, but that doesn’t make it any easier or more of a challenge than any other players.
“It’s about the collective for me. I know Tom can create and what he brings to the table. He’s a perfect fit for the kind of football I want to play. If he keeps working hard as he has been then I’m sure he’ll enjoy it.”
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