Former Celtic player explains Ange Postecoglou’s message

When Ange Postecoglou arrived at Celtic in the summer of 2021, he was a bit of an unknown in the European game. Surely, he had achieved a lot of success in both Japan and Australia, but people questioned whether he could do the same in Europe. A little over two years later, there could not have been a more resounding answer to those questions.

Postecoglou spent two years at Celtic. During that time, he completely transformed the team, won five domestic trophies out of a possible six and did so while playing some of the best brands of football we have seen in a while.

Postecoglou left Celtic just days after winning the treble with them to join Tottenham Hotspur. Once again, there were the same questions and doubts about the Australian. On top of that, Harry Kane left in the summer to join Bayern Munich.

Most fans expected them to struggle this season as a result. But Postecoglou has worked his magic in London as well, as Tottenham Hotspur sit at the top of the Premier League. Nobody would have predicted that at the start of the season and the Australian has become one of the premier names in management as a result.

Former Celtic player explains Postecoglou’s message

As reported by Football Scotland, Scott McDonald got a peak at Postecoglou’s methods on the recent Pro Licence course, and the former Celtic player told PLZ Soccer:

"“He was very open with his game model and how he likes to play. When you listen to him and he speaks, and he openly says ‘I’ll show you it because you can’t replicate it because you’re not me.“‘You need to find your own way of doing things whether or not that’s the same system, but you’re not going to coach it like me because there’s only one of me and there’s only one of you.“Which I found very interesting in itself. But when you work through his system and what he acutally does, if you’re on that level, you understand it very quickly. The consistency is always there with the message and that’s why he gets success.“The way he manages people, I don’t think he’s as cold as everyone makes out. He’s very aware of everything around him and likes to be in control.“But he works well with his team, albeit it’s always a new team that he always goes to. He says openly that’s basically to keep him on his toes and keep improving.”"

Whatever Postecoglou touches turns into gold at the moment. And young coaches can learn a lot from him, not just from his methods but also from the perseverance and determination he has shown.

Postecoglou is the farthest thing from an overnight success. He got his first real chance in Europe in his mid-50s with Celtic. Just two years later, he finds himself at the top of the Premier League table.