Ange Postecoglou has hailed the benefit of Celtic 's training camp in Portugal despite rounding off their final preparations for the return of the Premiership with defeat to Rennes.
It was an entertaining clash in which saw the Ligue 1 side come out on top. Warmed Omari heading the Ligue 1 side in front within the opening five minutes. before Matt O'Riley levelled the game. The French side would then take control of the game as Benjamin Bourigeaud found the net before Lorenz Assignon added to the advantage.
Omari would net his second before the interval, but the three-goal lead didn't stop the Scottish champions attempted fight-back with Kyogo scoring and O'Riley scoring his second of the afternoon. After seven goals in the first half, both sides lost their rhythm in the second half due to a number of changes, but Postecoglou reckons the camp will be key for the remainder of the campaign.
He reckons captain Callum McGregor and key defender Carl Starfelt could be the real beneficiaries of the closed door clash. Speaking about the game on Celtic TV, he said: "It was ok. There were some good bits, some not so good bits. Overall it's been a good week of training for us. The boys have worked hard and we probably felt the effects of it in today's game.
"Overall we got some good minutes into players, particularly Carl and Callum who haven't played a lot recently and they have come through really well. The schedule will be (busy after the restart) but I don't think it will be as demanding as what it was.
"With Europe you have the travel but all our fixtures are domestic. If we can handle what's past, we should be able to handle what's ahead."
Yuki Kobayashi has also linked up with the side but can only play competitively when the window opens on January 1. Postecoglou has been happy with his progress behind the scenes so far.
He continued: "It's still very early for him. It's just an introduction and we have three weeks before he's even available, so it's just about getting him used to the lads and how we train. As always, the boys have been really good making the new guys comfortable."
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