BEFORE Ange Postecoglou was making headlines south of the border, he was proving he could transition to football in the UK with Celtic, where he helped to restore their domination of the Premiership.
A mixed spell under Neil Lennon preceded the Aussie taking over, but it is fair to say that fans were ready for something new and a more vibrant and clear identity on the pitch. Bringing Postecoglou in turned out to be a masterstroke. Eyebrows were raised when he first came in, having managed Yokohama F. Marinos before he came to Scotland. In fact, his whole career path has been a little unconventional.
Postecoglou has led an interesting life and is known to be a big fan of sports in general. In addition to being a football manager, he has played and been involved in Aussie Rules Football. He managed Australia in one of their best spells in football before going back to club management.
Celtic are Scotland’s most successful club, boasting a rich history and a passionate fanbase. Their solid performances in domestic and European competitions make them a popular choice in sports betting, with bettors closely following odds on their matches. Let’s look at how Ange evolved Celtic’s style and turned them back into winners.
Athleticism in Attack
Ange’s style of football requires players with impressive stamina who can get up and down the pitch effortlessly. To set up the right team, he turned to the transfer market to sign players from Japan, where he had been managing previously. He was quick to defend players when they were accused of not being up to the task.
The team became remarkably good at transitions and moving up and down the pitch. When the opportunity came for a counterattack or a break, Ange’s Celtic team were ready. This is one of the reasons we saw such crushing defeats of other teams during his reign.
Jota was another signing from overseas that turned Celtic into an even more dominant force. With his creativity and plenty of goal-scoring threat, Jota became a fan favourite, and people were delighted to see him return to the team during the recent January transfer window.
Dominant Possession
In the Scottish Premiership, it is essential for a team to dominate the ball. Celtic have been a cut above most teams for quite some time, and teams come to Celtic Park expecting to surrender possession.
Ange had to determine how this could impact play and what style would work best. The main message was that even when they were dominant in possession, he wanted the ball moved quickly to try to open up the opposition.
“Ball speed is very important for us. Ball speed is number one,” the Australian said to his players in a pre-season video that was broadcast by the club. “Even when we’re keeping possession, I don’t want to see the ball move slowly. What does that mean? When we pass it, we pass it with purpose.”
Direct and Attacking Football
Although they often held possession for long periods of time, that didn’t mean Ange’s team would keep the ball for the sake of it. Statistically, they made a lot more direct passes than many other teams during this period, partially to take advantage of the pace and power of their strikers. Kyogo Furuhashi’s unbelievable goal-scoring form was a testament to this.
Postecoglou is known for his attacking football, and we certainly saw this in the era when he managed Celtic. He is not the type of manager who tries to contain the opposition, which we saw when he moved on to manage elsewhere. Instead, he concentrates on implementing his own style and bringing an attacking threat to the game. This is why we see a lot of high-scoring affairs involving Postecoglou’s teams.
Celtic were never going to do what Chelsea’s great teams did under Mourinho and keep clean sheet after clean sheet, but that was never the intention. Instead, Postecoglou backed his team to score more goals than the opposition. We did see some humbling of other teams while he was in charge, and this is not unusual for Celtic as they do tend to dominate the league.
Postecoglou’s Celtic Legacy
Most fans remember this period fondly. Ange has a massive personality, and this helped him become a favourite among the fans and the media, who usually got good sound bites from the outspoken Aussie. His style was attacking and direct, and it was something that many fans found enjoyable to watch.
