JUST as Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither is a title-winning side built in one transfer window. That was the message from Ange Postecoglou after another chastening result for his new-look Celtic team against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night.
It is true that circumstances have rather conspired against the Australian during his short time in Glasgow. As well as unsettled - yet previously key - players being moved on, he has been attempting to bleed 12 new bodies into his squad while implementing his unique style of play, and all amidst an injury crisis that has robbed him of captain Callum McGregor, star striker Kyogo Furuhashi and experienced players like Christopher Jullien and James Forrest.
Even so, the run of two wins in eight matches is enough to make even the most committed devotees to Angeball question whether their new Emperor has clothes, or if he simply talks a good game.
Time is the commodity that Postecoglou desperately needs, and he is adamant that if he can get to the January window still in touch at the top with this current squad, he will be able to supplement it enough to make a challenge for the title.
Beyond that, it may not be until after next summer’s transfer dealings are concluded that his vision for this Celtic side will ultimately be realised.
“There’s no secret we still need to add to the squad,” Postecoglou said. “We were never going to do it in one transfer window, particularly when you look at the significant exits we had over the past year. This was always going to be a two to three window process.
"We are looking at January at the moment. We know the areas we need to bolster up. That doesn’t necessarily mean adding experience, it’s about getting more players that I believe can play the type of football we want to play. There is a mentality that is attached to that but that’s not relevant to age or experience.
“It’s about the type of personalities we want to bring in, guys who really want to play the kind of football we want to play, who are going to be brave and really ambitious. That’s what we are trying to target.
“I don’t expect us to do a lot of business in January. But we will definitely be adding something to the squad.”
Given the success of Furuhashi since his arrival, it is no surprise to hear that Postecoglou will look towards Japan once more to bolster his options.
“Yeah, that’s one of the markets we will be looking at,” he said.
“Obviously I know it really well and they will get to the end of their season which is a good time if there’s anyone who will fit into our set-up.
“But we will be looking everywhere.”
A point that Postecoglou felt worth making too is that there will be a much more strategic approach than there perhaps was in the summer.
“The last window was frantic,” he said. “This time we want to make sure that we are planning well in advance.
“We have already identified targets and begun discussions before we get to January so that we can conclude deals a lot quicker than we did in the previous window.”
In the meantime, Postecoglou would settle for simply getting the new arrivals he does have all on the pitch for a sustained period. Behind the disappointment of the scoreline on Thursday night was encouragement in that regard, with Furuhashi, Joao Jota, Liel Abada and later on, Giorgos Giakoumakis, all getting on the field.
“That was pleasing,” said Postecoglou. “When putting the team together you have pictures in your head of what the team will look like when you get everyone up and running.
“I think Jota is improving with every game and really making a mark. Kyogo has made a massive impact too.
“Even on Thursday, I know he didn’t score, but his movement and ability to create problems for top-quality defenders is great for us. Hopefully we can keep him on the park and developing that relationship, because he and Jota can be a good combination.
“Giorgos too. He is lacking fitness but he got some game time and will provide us with another option.
“Jota and Liel are playing every game, virtually 90 minutes every time, and that’s obviously affecting their ability to be sharp in that front third.”
So, Postecoglou at last has reason to believe the short-term future may be bright as well as the long-term. But to sell that to fans, there is no doubt he could do with a win against Aberdeen at Pittodrie today.
The match will of course pit former club captain Scott Brown against his former club for the first time, but Postecoglou thinks that his players will be more preoccupied with getting their maiden domestic away win on the board without worrying too much about getting one over ‘Broony’.
“I’m not privy to dressing-room chat, that’s for the boys, but obviously it’s a significant game for Scott,” he said.
“He had such a fantastic career here and is a legend of the club. I’m sure when the fixtures came out this was one he circled.
“For us, we are just hugely disappointed by what happened on Thursday night and our focus is to make sure there is a reaction to that against a team that is going to be hard to beat, especially away from home.
‘We have had our challenges away from home and we need to make sure we get a reaction on Sunday.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel