The 2020/21 season was not one to look back on fondly for Celtic. They lost the league for the first time in ten years, there had been controversy over a squad trip to Dubai, and overall, many of the players did not seem up for it at all. The return of club legend Neil Lennon for his second stint in charge certainly didn’t end well.
There were a lot of changes needed at Celtic come the 2021/22 season. The squad required a huge rebuild and everything else just needed freshened up.
With experienced players like James Forrest, Greg Taylor and captain Callum McGregor, new manager Ange Postecoglou had good foundations to build on and that is exactly what he done. The additions of Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers brought that much needed solidity to the defence. The Australian manager also tapped into the Japanese market, bringing in Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi – with the latter not featuring anywhere near as much as the other three. Kyogo, Maeda and Hatate have become vital in Ange’s squad alongside many other players that he has brought to Glasgow during his tenure at the club.
When questioned by Boyle Sports about Postecoglou’s time at Celtic so far, former boss Neil Lennon said:
“When I left, there was a squad overhaul that needed to be done – the squad had fatigued.”
“I wouldn’t say Ange had a blank canvas because he had some players like McGregor, Taylor and Forrest. But he’s rebuilt the squad from almost scratch, he has definitely put his own philosophy and his style of play on it. He’s probably done it even quicker than he could have imagined, and I am sure the Celtic fans are loving what they are seeing, so it is just that freshness that Rangers do not have yet.
“Ange has put his own stamp on the team and his own mentality, that’s the trait I like the most about this Celtic squad – they don’t get flustered, and they play such an attacking brand of football that’s easy on the eye and that is all down to the coach.”
Celtic currently look like a team who are going to keep improving under Ange and it is very exciting to see where they will go from here. The squad depth that Postecoglou has built is second to none. This is what can often kill teams off in the end. A match can hit the hour mark and the Glasgow side are able to freshen things up by making up to five substitutions, all of which are just as good as the players coming off.
There is a real togetherness about the squad and coaching staff at Celtic just now and this is massively down to Ange and his single-minded approach from the get-go.
BOBBY GORDON
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