"If you play for survival that's all you'll ever get, you will never get anywhere "
This is what Ange Postecoglou said after Celtic's loss to Leipzig in the Champions League and was in reference to Celtic's lack of belief in the second half after getting themselves level but then not carrying out the instruction, process and message that Postecoglou has enforced on his team since arriving at the club.
He is trying to change a mindset within the Scottish game with his fearless brand of football and I for one admire his style and methods and hope Scottish football can learn from him. Far too many times over the years Scottish teams have gone into European competitions shouldering an inferiority complex.
There have been times and moments over the last decade or so where Scottish teams have performed particularly well but these have been too few and far between. Celtic went toe to toe with Manchester City and Rangers took some big scalps on their excellent Europa run but in general too many times in Europe there has been the cap in hand approach if we are being honest and Postecoglou is trying to change this.
Now what Celtic need to do more than ever is to trust in what he says and what he's trying to achieve. It's about not fearing mistakes or becoming negative when you make one. The manager said he saw it coming in Leipzig and anyone watching saw it coming but these things happen and you need to weather the storm and have a bravery.
The Shakhtar performance and Leipzig up until they equalised were real positives. I keep hearing people say Celtic should set-up differently but I'd love these people to come out and tell us how they would have the team lined-up. Anyone can analyse a game over 90 minutes and pick out the faults and say what a team hasn't done well.
In Celtic's case they haven't been ruthless or clinical in Europe this season, that is an issue. But you can also strip things back further. We are three games into these group games, Celtic opened up against Real Madrid at Celtic Park and for 60 minutes were excellent. That's a massive positive as who would have actually thought that?
Look at where the club were a few seasons ago and to have the confidence and belief to play like that was unimaginable. Now it's about making that next step. Anyone who thought this would just be another seamless rise once again for Celtic under Postecoglou this season, especially at Champions League level, would have been mistaken.
There are going to be bumps on the road, people need to sit back and breathe a little and accept that Celtic have made so much progress under the current manager. Social Media is no barometer for reasoned opinion and I spoke to some fans at the airport in Germany and they were disappointed with the performance on Wednesday and I get that.
It's a ruthless level and nobody said Celtic had cracked it. But Postecoglou is trying to change the mindset within the Scottish game and that is really healthy. In Celtic's case this season in Europe they have lacked a ruthlessness which may well come back to haunt them if they fail to make progress out of their group. But there have been so many encouraging signs.
Look where the club were 18 months ago and where they are now in terms of style of football, belief and confidence. The transformation has been so quick under Postecoglou and this was unimaginable in such a small space of time. Now it's about making the next step.
When I look at what happened in the loss in Leipzig there were a few things which stood out. It was clear that when Callum McGregor went off injured the team lost a bit of leadership, he's been the guy in the middle of the park who makes them tick. It shows just what an impact he has on his side when that authority was missing when he wasn't on the pitch and he's going to be a huge loss.
Oliver Abildgaard came on for the captain and it was difficult for him as the game passed him by. It was tough for him but there isn't time to bed yourself in for a few games and McGregor's boots are impossible to fill but he needs to affect the game more with his own style as that's what is needed to make Celtic tick.
At that level it is super ruthless and Celtic found that out the hard way again. That said, the message Postecoglou is sending out about what he's trying to achieve is an important one. I always go back to what he came into when he arrived from management in Japan, what he had to inherit, where Celtic are now It's been pretty unthinkable. Now they are in the Champions League group stage.
Maybe Cameron Carter-Vicker and Aaron Moy will be back against St Johnstone today and Leipzig in midweek. They will need to bring leadership qualities which Celtic lacked in the second half in Germany. Celtic will need other leaders while McGregor is out and, as we know, leadership at Celtic certainly doesn't mean that this team isn't just in the Champions League to survive.
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