Celtic are looking to retain the Premiership and the Scottish League Cup, while potentially even winning a treble this season. They certainly seem to be on the right path as well. They are leading the league title race by nine points, with 14 games left to be played. On the other hand, they are in the final of the Scottish League Cup, where they will face the Rangers.
Of course, there is still a lot more work to be done, but at the same time, one must commend what they have been able to achieve till now.
One man who deserves immense credit for this is Ange Postecoglou. It is easy to forget the atmosphere around the club about 18 months back when he had arrived. They had finished trophyless and 25 points behind the Rangers in the Premiership just the season before.
Thus, the turnaround that they have been able to make under the management of the Australian in such a short span of time has been nothing short of absolutely remarkable. And Chris Sutton seems to be a big fan of this current team. He wrote in his column in the Daily Record:
"He had to build Celtic up because the club was on the decline when he arrived and the squad was not good enough. He went straight into Champions League qualifiers using kids. He lost three of his first six Premiership games. He’s had to build what he’s now got. Top coaches, managers and observers respect that.Maybe it’s what the golfer Gary Player and other individuals have said in that the harder you work, the luckier you get because Postecoglou has assembled the most-exciting Celtic side I can remember watching. It’s the fact it’s become so relentless and routine that makes them so special."
Sutton makes bold claim about current Celtic squad
It is safe to say that Postecoglou has done a better job than anybody would have expected, when he arrived.
It is also worth pointing out that he was not a popular appointment at the time. For months, it had looked like Celtic had been chasing the signature of Eddie Howe. But when that failed to materialise, they quickly got a deal done for Postecoglou.
Many had feared that it was a mistake. It has proven to be completely the opposite. Postecoglou has been the perfect manager for Celtic both on and off the pitch. Now, let’s see how far he can take this team.