Celtic's pre-season continues apace this week as Ange Postecoglou and his team face Bannik Ostrava in the latest leg of their European tour on Wednesday. Before that, though, there was time for some more intensive training - and there were one or two unorthodox methods on show in the latest session.
Postecoglou will have learned plenty about his team in their two friendlies so far. They steamrolled third-tier Wiener Viktoria with a 7-0 rout, before battling to a hectic 3-3 draw when the opposition stepped up several notches in Rapid Vienna. He might be a little concerned by how they let a lead slip three times - and some of the defending left plenty to be desired - but the Australian was quick to draw the positives from the fiery friendly.
He'll be expecting his stars to get fitter with every passing day and that certainly looked to be the case in their latest session on the road. With the squad quickly approaching full strength and more and more internationals returning to the fold, Postecoglou, Harry Kewell and the coaching team had another chance to run an eye over the squad and put them through their paces.
There was plenty to unpack from the latest session. And Record Sport have broken it down into five big talking points.
Heads up
Joe Hart is the undisputed No.1 at Parkhead and will be for the foreseeable and he has a new No.2 in Benji Siegrist. They still need to keep the rest of the keepers on their toes though and Postecoglou, Kewell and co. have been using an unconventional method to do just that - head tennis.
Tobi Oluwayemi and Scott Bain were spotted teaming up for a game, presumably against Hart and Siegrist, as the stoppers tested their reflexes over the table. Bain and Oluwayemi will be battling it out for that third choice spot this season, and the 19-year-old Englishman might just fancy his chances.
Sunday, Monday, Happy Dave
Turnbull was one of Ange Postecoglou's key men in the first part of last season - for a long period, in fact, he was the only one to play every minute under the Australian. Injury then struck, however, and with three midfield arrivals in January, he struggled to wrestle back his place.
After hitting the back of the net against Rapid Vienna, though, he has every reason to be happy with his pre-season so far. And the Scotland cap will be hopeful he can kick on and reinstate himself as one of the first names on the team-sheet in this refreshed-looking Celtic side.
Deep in thought
Postecoglou has been leaning heavily on his new right-hand man Kewell in pre-season so far and the two were once again spotted deep in conversation. They have plenty to think about, too, with their Premiership title defence kicking off against Aberdeen in less than three weeks' time.
Before then though there is an array of friendly action to get through, with Ostrava, Blackburn, Legia Warsaw and Norwich all lying in wait as part of an extensive pre-season schedule. So many friendlies to tweak things before the competitive action commences is one of the luxuries afforded by automatic Champions League qualification, and those two men will be keen to make sure they're in the same position in 12 months' time.
Poetry in motion
Alexandro Bernabei has already impressed with his pace and directness down the left in his pre-season outings, and fans are salivating at the prospect of his link-ups with Jota when the real stuff begins in a few weeks. He's certainly given Greg Taylor something to think about and the Scotland defender will have to be on his toes to retain his starting berth.
Bernabei was once again snapped showcasing his electric pace as he passed the ball to someone out of shot then accelerated off into space. He already looks the perfect fit for Postecoglou's relentless system and his pace, engine and ability on the ball look like they will make the 21-year-old a major asset in the months and years ahead.
Steeeerike!
The margins for improvement after Jota's stellar first season in Glasgow are slim. With 13 goals and 14 assists in all competitions, his output was tremendous, but even that didn't quite do his contributions in green and white justice. The £6.4m paid to bring him back looks like a bargain and Benfica have been left rueing what they could have made if not for that sell-on clause.
The 23-year-old, though, is hungry to do even better now he is a Celtic player on a permanent basis. He'll be determined to prove he was good value for money and he was spotted unleashing a ferocious volley with his right peg. You don't envy the keeper on the other end of that one!
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