ANGE Postecoglou has stressed that he remains committed to turning Celtic into a successful Champions League side despite their difficult return to Europe’s premier club competition – and predicted it will raise the standard of the entire Scottish game if he does so.
The Glasgow outfit, who had last locked horns with the continental elite way back in 2017, failed to win any of their Group F encounters with RB Leipzig, Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk this season and finished bottom of their section.
Yet, Postecoglou, whose side won widespread plaudits for the style of football they produced against their German, Spanish and Ukrainian rivals, is undeterred by the disappointments which the Scottish champions endured.
The Greek-Australian coach appreciates that Celtic must strive to be competitive at the highest level in Europe as well as dominant domestically and is keen to retain the cinch Premiership this term and qualify for the Champions League group stages again next year.
He believes that if his players reach a level where they are challenging for a place in the knockout rounds in future it will have a positive impact on the likes of Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hearts, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Livingston and Ross County.
"If your goal is just to be the best house in your street but you live in a neighbourhood of thousands, then you have to look beyond that,” he said.
"That's not to disrespect the local competition. If anything, you hope that it raises the level. If we want to raise the level of Scottish football, then our best clubs need to get bigger and stronger and hopefully that drags others up. Instead of just keeping the big clubs down and hope that it makes it better.”
Postecoglou began his coaching career in Australia and enjoyed great success with South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar before being appointed Socceroos manager and leading his country through to the World Cup finals in 2014 and 2018.
However, he confessed that he felt restricted by the conditions which he worked under in his adopted homeland when he was starting out; A League clubs are only allowed five foreign players in their squads and there is a salary cap which only two marquee signings are exempt from.
The 57-year-old relishes not being limited by such constraints at Celtic, who are nine points clear of Rangers at the top of the Premiership table going into the Qatar 2022 break, and believes that being able to improve further can benefit their domestic opponents.
"I come from Australia where we love equalising sports,” he said. “People here talk a lot about the disparity of budgets and how it is unfair and all that.
"In Australia, they go the opposite way. Everyone has the same salary cap, the same resources and the same way of recruiting everyone through a draft.
"Every team and supporter thinks they can win it. You know what? I got frustrated with that. Because if you want to get better, you can't. There are rules stopping you. What they do is bring the best down to an equilibrium.”
Postecoglou added: "The way I am as a person is 'let's make the best better and try to drag everyone else up'. The way that is going to happen in Scotland is for a club like ours to have their sights set on being a top Champions League club.
"If that means we dominate local competition, then it challenges everyone else to be better. That has to be our goal.
"My responsibility is to this club. We have 60,000 fans at our stadium every other week and millions around the world. Why shouldn't they have success at Champions League level. That has to be my goal. If not, I am doing this job a disservice.”
Postecoglou put the bitter disappointment of failing to win a single game at the World Cup finals in Brazil in 2014 firmly behind him the following year when he led Australia to victory in the Asian Cup for the first time ever.
He insisted that his confidence in his abilities has not been dented by the defeats that Celtic suffered in the Champions League to Leipzig and Real and admitted those reverses reminded him of his experiences in the international game.
"I never doubted myself,” he said. “I didn't enjoy the experience. I was disappointed. How can you enjoy it? People say: 'It's Real Madrid, it's the Bernabeu'. But we lost 5-1.
"Within me, there was still a determination. We took some blows, but we had to have to determination to go again and be better next time.
"I was at the World Cup in 2014 and we were 2-0 down to Chile after 10 minutes in the opening game. The whole world is watching and I am thinking: 'This could be a long World Cup!’ You are totally exposed'
"I learnt through that time that I didn't lack self-belief. It wasn't arrogance, but I knew we could dig in. We lost 3-1 but it was a cracking game. Then we took on Holland, who had beaten Spain 5-0, and we lost 3-2.
"They are losses but at no stage did I think: 'I wish I was somewhere else, this could end up embarrassing’.
"At 2-0 against Real, I was thinking we had to get a way back into the game. We get the penalty and miss. That was frustrating and we were disappointed, but I never had doubts.”
Can Ange Postecoglou bounce back from the losses that Celtic recorded in the Champions League in exactly the same way that he did after Australia were knocked out of the World Cup? That is certainly his goal. He is adamant it will have far-reaching repercussions for Scottish football as a whole if he succeeds.
