Ange Postecoglou

See I felt I took hope from match day 1 and 2 but ultimately felt we should have been on 3 points if not 4 by that stage.

The away game to Leipzig I thought we were rotten and probably should have been beat by a serious number of goals. Last night I didn’t feel that, we were too open particularly second half when we tired and not good enough on the ball but we created as many big chances in that game as when we pumped them 4-0 in the league and scored none of them.

The start of the second half we were poor but typical of these games we started to get a foothold in the game then lost a goal.

I am completely with you 1 point from 4 games is terrible and what infuriates me most is this was a good draw where we should have been more competitive.

How do we do better? Firstly we need to make sure we win the league this year and get another crack next year. Secondly we need to be buying players with the physical qualities to properly play this system if we are sticking to it largely.

Lastly Ange does need to make tweaks to what we are doing, I am not talking about abandoning all our principles but smartening up. Like Kyogo chasing down their keeper, why? He should have covered Gvardiol and left the keeper to pass to Orban, the rest of the team cover the other options. Haksabanovic would have been better up against Schlager than the other CB. The wingers cover the full backs and Hatate
Haidara and force them to punt it because when we did last night we dealt with them easily most of the time.

 

I'd be much comfier with Angeball if the Manager stated this was a long term project and signed an appropriately lengthy contract.

Otherwise its just a vanity project.

Last night was undoubtedly entertaining for the neutral, but it was an absolute misery for Celtic fans. WE are the priority here!

 

Yeah..need more steel in the team.
Allowing talented players to have the ball and play at will is always a danger.We need players tackling and nipping at their heels.

 

Are we now wanting to shift away from the all out , we never stop, attacking style of play that has, so far, been successful?

Ange is unlikely to change his style and philosophy.

As fans we need to be careful here. The sense of frustration and collective sighing last night (and in recent games) is awful to listen to. And if the manager doesn't feel the fans are on board he might look to other horizons.

I'd love to see us be more pragmatic at times. Especially in being able to manage games and be a bit more defensive. I'd love to see us get GG and Kyogo into side as well. If like a plan B, C and D in required.

But that's going to take a big change of tact from the manager. As fans we either buy into it or... What?

 

In Europe yes. Look at Rodgers it's almost impossible to better what he did domestically but his failure to adapt in Europe what his main/only failure. We simply need to be more physical you could even make that case domestically as well after watching us the last few games.

 

I will if you will…

He is however, coaching them in such a manner that it ends up producing hastiness. No one’s saying he intends it.

But it’s definitely the case that players feel under pressure to keep intensity high. You can see that. There isn’t a culture whereby they’re explicitly encoueaged to slow it down, take a few touches and get it under control.

 

I mean, if we take some of our chances throughout the 4 games, we are sitting on 4 or 5 points instead of 1. I know it's ifs, buts and maybes but the simple fact is we missed a host of EASY chances tonight and we missed a host of easy chances against Shakthar that would have changed the outcome of tonight's game and would have changed the situation in the group. Leipzig missed some also, no doubt about it but you need a lot of luck at times to get through these sorts of games, even the very best do.

We played well last night at times, we have made huge strides and we always knew that they were going to be a completely different animal under Rose. He's one of the most respected managers in Germany for a reason. They'll be back in the champions league next season, no doubt in my mind. I hope we are there to meet them again because I believe this is a steep learning curve that we can take huge amounts of experience from and chip away at these sorts of gaps next year.

The league and domestic duties are absolutely pivotal for Ange and this team. We need to get through the next few weeks with some injuries and hopefully we start to kick on. Domestically the last few weeks we have been off it. We need to repair that this weekend with a good, attacking showing. Huns won't have it easy on Sunday so let's put them under some pressure.

 

Did you feel the frustration of many fans last night? That is very disappointing for me as most of our players are young and the pressure we are putting on them is unreal at times like this.

I think we are putting up more of a show in Europe than we did under Rodgers and genuinely think that after 1 full season we are moving forward. It's going to be a case of either Ange gets the players and teams to play the way he wants and its successful in Europe. Or he changes his tact.

If he doesn't change will domestic success (not guaranteed) be enough along with occasional big nights in Europe.

 

Ultimately it doesn't matter though if we're not taking points similar to Ange at the world cup being the underdog and running teams close wont wash here against teams like Leipzig granted Madrid are different kettle of fish but teams like Leipzig are teams imo we should be beating at home. His team selection I thought was poor last night we were so weak in midfield and his subs especially taking Haksabanovic off and leaving Maeda on was baffling. Ultimately the Donetsk game has came back and bit us on the * we should have won that easy. The Leipzig games have been write offs

 

We ultimately don’t have the players capable of playing Ange’s style of football in European competition.

Strikers and centre mids have been miles off the required standard.

 

You can actual fault Ange’s style to be honest.

We have posed a threat to every team we have faced in the group. Despite our fears about being ripped wide open, that’s not really happened either.

Unfortunately, Ange can’t finish the umpteen chances that we have created in these games.

 

It’s on him to now sign players that will finish them though. The current crop have had enough of a chance.

 

I wasn't happy with the starting line up, but it was working. The only thing we weren't doing was scoring, so the only change that had to made was GG for Kyogo.

But to make a triple switch was just madness. Reo wasn' t having a good game, but I'd have given him another ten minutes. Hacksa was doing well and should have stayed on.

I really can't get my head around a triple sub when we were very much in the game, especially after already making an enforced change.

Madness madness madness

 

I'm in agreement. Kyogo has dropped off a cliff. Big GG doesn't get enough of a chance to build the form he showed last season. We need a 3rd who will take that no1 spot. Spend big and we won't be stopped.

 

This is what I hate most about these poor results in Europe. I keep coming away without any gripes towards players (apart from maybe those missing chances), and no gripes towards Ange because the potential of this project is there for all to see.

But then I see the absolute dross takes from some sections of the support. Hysterical, blinkered and childish reactions, often showing little to no recognition of the context of this journey or the real hunger and desire shown by the players.

Ange can swat away the shrill journalists but the realisation for him that there is a huge cohort of infantile whingers in our support must be quite off-putting for him.

See what the whingers think about Ange when he inevitably moves on and we inevitably downgrade to a less visionary manager.

 

I think this experience has shown him he can compete but it'll take slightly longer than usual to build to actually compete. Bodes well for us as he won't be going anywhere for a couple years. His European performances have been excellent in visual terms. His team is technically tearing teams 10x the budget apart but just can't finish. Imagine giving him the £400m red bull had to build that sqaud? His teams would rival how good Bayern was a few years ago when they was ripping Barcelona etc apart with ease.

 

Leipzig are regulars in the CL and would have fancied their chances. No way we're they underdogs. Players such as Werner etc have far more experience at that level and it showed. Agree on the selection. Haksabanovic played effectively as a striker which begs the question why GG couldn't have started with Kyogo? Maeda should have been hooked, his form has gone and his confidence is shot. If we had taken 1 or 2 of our chances it might have been a different game but as with Shaktar, we are wasteful when we need it.

 

I was meaning we're the underdogs but we should still be expecting to win against sides like Leipzig at home.

 

Yeah I think a lot of us felt we could win. And given the chances, and against Shaktar, we prob should have.

 

Even a team like say Newcastle whose budget has suddenly ballooned are gonna take at least a few seasons for that success to translate onto the pitch. Folk have zero right to demand strong results on the UCL stage this early into a project that in context has little financial weight behind it. Competing as we have done and like you say ripping these teams open, it's hugely encouraging. All the negative people need to do is pause and think about where we are at