An insight into Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou's tactical nous and preparation for games has been revealed in new documentary footage.
The club have released their 'Celtic FC 2021/22 We Never Stop' documentary DVD, which is the inside story of their league and cup double last season. And it contains a scene in which Postecoglou goes into opposition players in detail before Celtic faced Hearts in the final weeks of the campaign, as they closed in on the Premiership title.
The 57-year old demonstrates his familiarity with technology, and shows his players exactly where Hearts' attacking threat would come from, in a Monday Night Football styled analysis piece that we are used to seeing from the likes of Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville in the English Premier League. By using clips of a previous match, the Australian highlight's Jambos winger Barrie McKay as the opposition's danger man, but tells his players how they could stop the former Rangers man from having an effect on the game. He stops the video at certain points to alert his players to where they need to be positionally in order to keep the team's shape.
Speaking to his squad during the tactical briefing he says: "In terms of them ( Hearts ) they've got some tricky ones in wide areas, McKay (Barrie) in particular. We know that he is going to be aggressive, but we don't want to over-commit. So if we hold it there, we don't want to stand here. If we stand here then they will get into the box or be able to cross.
"We don't want them to do that, so we need to get close enough so that when they get their head down, they can't cross the ball and they can't dribble us. And then they're next option is then to go back, and if they go back we can squeeze up and put pressure on them. So don't over-commit and at the same time we can't be passive and let them in the box. Stay strong in here and make sure we've got our three defenders plus one or two midfielders, might even be a winger who needs to be in there."
Postecoglou's determination and drive to succeed is also revealed in the footage, as he urges his team to go out and secure the league title in style, with bold, positive words then appearing on the screen.
"We haven't been beholden or attached to the result all year" he adds. "What does that mean? That means if you are just chasing the result today and looking for another win, what will happen is that at 0-0 we will be nervous, at 1-0 down we'll think we have to do something different, or at 1-0 up we'll be looking to hold on. And we haven't done that all year.
"What we have done is focus on what is important to us and what we believe in. We want to play our best football today. I want us to get to that finish line and smash it. You can do it, you've got the football ability, you've got the commitment, you've got the attitude, you've got the togetherness, you've got everything.
"How often do you see in marathons where the winner is exhausted, but when he gets to that last 10 minutes he finds that energy to run through that line. We've done the marathon and we are down to the last 10 metres and can see the finish line, and trust me no one is catching us. All we need to do is win, but is that enough for us? No, it never has been."
Celtic continue their defence of the Premier Sports Cup with a trip to Motherwell before a trip to Tynecastle on Saturday.
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