Ange Postecoglou hopes Celtic reap the benefits of a settling squad

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is seeing his squad grow as players get up to speed. Picture: SNS

Ange Postecoglou believes he’s now getting strength in depth as he looks forward to utilising the options of a more settled squad when Ferencvaros visit Celtic on Tuesday afternoon.

The Europa League encounter will take place at 3.30pm due to the Cop26 conference in Glasgow. Though the kick-off time is a little unusual and potentially disruptive, the Australian welcomes the opportunity to build up a head of steam after recording consecutive victories in the cinch Premiership against Aberdeen and Motherwell.

Postecoglou knows results haven’t been good enough as his side sit in 4th place in the top flight, and bottom of Group G, but he expects things to improve now players are returning to fitness, while the international break allowed others to acclimatise themselves after being thrown into the deep end upon their arrival.

“We just have more options now. Guys like [Giorgos] Giakoumakis, who has only just done pre-season really over these past ten days.

“Mikey Johnston is coming back. Obviously Kyogo [Furuhashi] missed a fair chunk after the last international break.

“When I look back on those European games it would have been great to have some attacking options to come off the bench.

“Betis away I remember we played with young Adam as a starting left-winger and we couldn’t really change it up at all because Liel Abada was unavailable, Kyogo wasn’t available and Giakoumakis wasn’t ready.

“That ability now to both rotate after the league game or even during the game, to change it up, we are in a much better shape.

He continued: “Yes, [James] McCarthy, Giakoumakis, Mikey [have benefitted from the ten-day break] but even guys like [Cameron] Carter-Vickers and Jota.

“People forget they arrived, had two sessions with us and then we threw them in.

“Jota’s second game for us was away to Betis. Cameron the same. So for those guys to have those ten days just to settle on and off the field. To settle their lives down and get a bit of normalcy around it.

“Those first eight weeks we were just throwing guys in left right and centre. Kyogo literally met the players the morning of the Hearts game. Joe Hart met the players on the morning of that European game [against Jablonec].

“So this has been an opportunity to establish a normal routine.”

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