Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou ‘won’t be bothered’ by his side’s back-to-back training camp defeats, according to former professional turned pundit Tam McManus.
The Lowdown: Winless in Australia
The Scottish Premiership champions recently visited Australia for their mid-season break whilst the World Cup is taking place where they participated in two friendlies.
Despite fielding pretty strong line-ups in both matches regardless of several squad members currently being away in Qatar, the Hoops first off lost 2-1 to Sydney FC before being edged out on penalties by Everton.
The Latest: McManus’ verdict
Speaking to Football Insider, McManus insisted that whilst Celtic failed to pick up any victories down under, Postecoglou won’t be concerned given the club’s start to the season. He said:
“He won’t be bothered at all, I shouldn’t think.
“When you have had the sensational start to the season that Celtic have had, nine points clear of your biggest rivals, still in both cups, you haven’t disgraced yourself in Europe, there is nothing to complain about.
“Ange has plenty of credit in the bank. The Celtic supporters know this is nothing more than a mid-season break. It’s a chance to go to Australia where they have thousands of fans who are desperate to see the team.
“They are getting paid handsomely to play in that tournament as well, let’s not forget that. So, all in all, if the supporters are looking at that as a pre-season thing, the results don’t really matter.
“I saw bits and pieces of the games. I think Celtic gave Everton a good game, certainly in the first half. They will be disappointed with the result against Sydney but they did rest a lot of players and gave fringe players a chance.
“They will enjoy their break now. They will train hard but they can also let their hair down and go for a beer.
“All in all, it’s been a good trip for Celtic.”
[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-9/" title="Key latest Celtic updates!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align=“none"]
The Verdict: No need to panic
The Bhoys will of course be hoping to pick up some positive results during their break, but in terms of questions over if it will affect their performances moving forward, there’s definitely no need to panic.
The Glasgow side have won 14 and lost just one of their opening 15 games this term, leaving them already nine points clear of rivals Rangers at the top of the table (Sky Sports).
Postecoglou looks very likely to be guiding his team to yet another title, and with the two cup trophies still up for grabs, it could be a very promising ending to the campaign at Parkhead.