Ange Postecoglou has often kept his cards close to his chest, when it comes to the availability of players and selection decisions during his time as Celtic manager. The Australian decided to throw a bit of a curve ball heading into the upcoming Glasgow Derby against the Rangers, by hinting at one major decision a couple days beforehand.
With a lot riding on the result of this game, one of the big questions has been surrounding the right-back situation of Celtic.
Anthony Ralston picked up an injury recently while Josip Juranovic is yet to feature after the World Cup break, thanks to his deep run in the competition as Croatia finished third as well as an injury picked up late on in the tournament. That has resulted in Reo Hatate playing at right-back.
While the Japanese star has done very well there, he is not a natural right-back and thus, it is not hard to understand why some fans might feel a bit uncomfortable going into the Glasgow Derby if Hatate was to start there against the Rangers. It looks like that won’t be the case though.
Celtic boss hints at big selection decision heading into Glasgow Derby vs Rangers
As reported by the Daily Record, Postecoglou said about the situation:
"“Josip was ready on Wednesday night against Hibs but had only been with us for a day. I felt it would have been a bit unfair just to throw him in.“If I did, he’d have been ready and willing, no problem. So he’s ready to go now and has trained the last few days so there are no issues with him for Monday. It’s fair to say we’ll move Reo forward again. He’s done awfully well for us in the last two games. He hasn’t just filled in, he’s actually excelled in that role.“But he’s definitely a midfielder for us. That’s where he is most effective and does his best work. Having Josip back and Alistair available certainly eases that right-back issue for us.”"
Juranovic was absolutely sensational at the World Cup for Croatia and might have been the best right-back in the tournament.
At the same time, he is being linked with a big move away from Parkhead in January and the Glasgow Derby would be another chance for Juranovic to show potential suitors exactly what he is capable of on the big stage.
Judging from Postecoglou’s comments, one would expect Juranovic to start at right-back and Hatate to move back into the middle of the park against the Rangers. But let’s see if there are any more surprises to come.