Ange Postecoglou accused his Celtic players of accepting defeat to Rangers in the last Old Firm derby of the season at Ibrox.
The Hoops gaffer was disappointed with the champions’ display as Michael Beale’s men ran out easy 3-0 winners. Postecoglou’s side have been superb in securing their second successive title. But the Parkhead boss - who is renowned for his ‘we never stop’ mantra - says his team took their foot off the gas in Govan.
Afterwards, he said: “In the second half, I just felt we almost accepted our fate rather than going out there and trying to change the course of the game. They’re human beings and they’ve had an outstanding season. We had the euphoria of winning the league last week and it was weird winning it - then having to play away again. You don’t really get the chance to appreciate the moment. But welcome to Celtic. That’s the expectation here and it’s not going to change.
“It was a disappointing performance today and a disappointing outcome. There were a couple of moments in the first when he should have scored but never really got that foot-hold. And in the second half, we just never made an impact. There was a bit of desperation about us trying to get into the game.”
Celtic’s biggest chance of the first half fell to South Korean striker Oh, who hit the post after being teed up by Liel Abada. Postecoglou says his back-up front-man has to be more like top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi - and not allow himself to get down after missing an opportunity.
The manager said: “The Oh chance is a big moment. If we could have hit back straight after Rangers scored, it would have taken a bit of momentum out of them. The big man should probably have put it away. He hit the post so it wasn’t far off.
“But it’s a learning experience for him. When he looks at someone like Kyogo - he misses goals too but it doesn’t affect him afterwards. He still runs his socks off for the team.”
Celtic will still win the title by some distance and they have the Scottish Cup Final to look forward to as they look to secure a domestic Treble. But he says Saturday's defeat is a timely reminder of the demands on his Celtic players.
He said: “It’s not about being critical, it’s just about the expectations of this football club. When you represent it, as a player and a manager, you are expected to win every week. There is no mystery around that. So when you don’t you have to accept it, try and understand it and embrace the expectations around it.
“And make sure it doesn’t happen again. It’s about making sure the players and everyone understand that these are the expectations around this football club. Today was an opportunity for some of our guys. It is a tough place to get an opportunity.
“They need to understand what this club’s about. You don’t get an easy ride, you don’t get a cushy introduction into life as a footballer.
“It is demanding from the moment you put on a shirt to the moment you leave. It is fair to say it wasn’t just about the guys who came in. Obviously the changes I made didn’t help but I just thought the general performance, and the level of performance, wasn’t there.”
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