Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou admits he is using his side's reduced schedule to maximum benefit in a bid to make it count when it matters most.
The Premiership champions have become three-game-a-week specialists but automatic qualification to the Champions League group stage has changed the rules this season. And the Celtic boss wants to make sure his stars are getting the hard yards in now ahead of looming manic schedule which will see his side play six group stage fixtures in European football's biggest event over an eight-week period.
And that's why Postecoglou is doing all he can to get his players ready now. The 56-year-old has revealed Celtic have bounce games scheduled to keep fringe men ticking over if they are need for first team duty. And the Parkhead boss knows that's vital with Moritz Jenz the latest signing to make a quick impact, as he netted during the 3-1 win over Ross County on Saturday.
Postecoglou - speaking to Celtic TV - covered a wide range of issues as he gears his side up for Sunday's visit to Kilmarnock as he admits his side will have to navigate Rugby Park's plastic pitch in search of three consecutive league wins.
On new signings
"It always helps when they have a positive start, but there were others who didn't have a positive start last year and it didn't stop them having strong seasons, I think all those things, what's really important for us is players feel comfortable as quickly as possible, the environment certainly does that and the group of players we have here, anyone who is new is embraced and they try and get them feeling involved and comfortable.
"For Moritz, first competitive game, he handled himself really well, and I think that's because from the moment he arrived he feels comfortable in the environment."
On resilience against Ross County
"It was a good performance. Difficult place. Conditions make it tricky up there and they’re a difficult team to play at home with the way they set up but I thought we handled it really well.
"We stayed calm and played our football. Whether you score in the first minute or the last minute, it shouldn’t make a difference. Last year we got a few important results late in games. Even when the result was put to bed, we were still going late, there was never any thought of sort of playing out the last four, five minutes, it's just part of who we are.
"What we keep reiterating the boys, it is a game of 95 minutes and the first minute is just as important as the last. If we start reacting to the scoreboard, we would chop and change the way we play, our approach is always the same, the players have bought into that and they are bearing the fruits of that and when they get rewarded they want to do it more."
On mindset
"The players, everyday, are working hard, irrespective of what kind of session it is or how long the session is, they just know one way, they get comfortable with that and approach the game the same way.
"We are really big on having a strong mindset, about the football we want to play, that starts every day at training, that gets ingrained in the players and they take it out in the game, hopefully, it's not about thinking about it, it's just about doing it. I think that's where the players understand it, and work towards it, so on the weekend, irrespective of how it's going, are not searching for something that isn't there for them everyday."
On start to season
"It's been ok, it's been solid, it was always going to be a different start for us after the pre-season we've had, we are obviously so used to playing three games a week but having a game on the weekend means our training model is different, we are still almost going through an extended pre-season with the work we're doing with the players. That's going to help us once the games do start.
"Our performances right through pre-season were solid and that's continued into the first two games. The first game I thought there was some good stuff, I thought there was some stuff we could have done better but there was progression in the second game, the way we controlled it, it's been a decent start.
"It's like anything, it's beneficial if we use it right, otherwise it's a waste, for us we have been planning this for a quite well. It gives an opportunity, once the games start we know are not going to get a lot of time to do it, now is the time to bed it down. We have a couple of bounce games organised for the guys who haven't played, so when we need to throw them in we're match ready. You've seen in the first two games, we have had injuries and illnesses, I want to put them in knowing they are ready."
On Kilmarnock
"Every week a different challenge and this will be a different one, they got promoted last year, Derek did a good job with them, they'll be looking forward to these fixtures, seeing whether they can disrupt us, stop us, playing at their venue is another challenge, an artificial surface, it affects our game, certainly.
"As I said last week, whatever the challenge is, the answer lies within our football, as long as we concentrate on playing in our brand of football, and believing it, we will be hard to stop."
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