Ange Postecoglou insists he couldn’t care less about Robbie Neilson’s Parkhead decapitation rant as he warned any Scottish Cup mind games from the Hearts boss are a waste of time.
The Celtic boss refused to bite on his Jambos opposite number’s moan about the failure to show Alexandro Bernabei a red card in Wednesday’s Premiership clash. Postecoglou will square up with Neilson again at Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup today amid suggestions the Jambos gaffer is trying to ramp up pressure on officials by claiming rivals need to get decapitated to see a red card Parkhead.
But Postecoglou said: “I don’t know how many games I’ve managed but I’ve never won one with a mind game. I don’t even know what mind games are. I don’t buy all that sort of stuff. The game of football has 11 players who start and a few more that come one and you try to win it that way – that’s it.”
Neilson was fuming at the Bernabei flashpoint – but Postecoglou admitted he doesn’t give a jot what the Hearts boss – or anyone else – thinks ahead of the Gorgie grudge match. He said: “What did I make of it? Nothing, mate, I don’t really care what other managers or other people say. It’s got no interest to me. Why would I be interested in what someone else thinks?
“Every manager has the right to analyse or sum up the game in the way they want. I won’t tell people what to say or what to think. But it doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is how I see and analyse the game and the feedback I get from the players.
“That’s how we improve and get better. Other people’s opinions on the game are not relevant.”
Postecoglou is adamant the Argentinian kid’s challenge was tame and VAR made the right call. He said: “Yeah. When I analyse a game I look at what’s important and things I think matter to us. Someone making a tackle is not really at the forefront of my mind.
“Everyone knows we have VAR so if someone thinks someone has done something wrong then we find out.”
Postecoglou is expecting another feisty clash in the capital but wants his men to keep their heads. He said: “I don’t know if Wednesday will have any bearing on this one. It’s a cup tie and it’s always a different feel around them than the league games. There’s a little bit more of an edge.
“We’re away from home, which brings a different perspective. It’s about making sure we perform. The other night we weren’t at our full best but we still had a strong mentality to get the job done.
“We were disciplined in our approach and we’ll need that again because we know how big a challenge it is.”
Daizen Maeda is set to miss Tynecastle with a knee knock but Postecoglou insists he has no issues around Liel Abada. Record Sport understands the wide man is unhappy at cryptic quotes credited to him surfacing in his homeland about his future and his boss is confident the youngster is on board.
Postecoglou said: “He’s fine, mate. I just go with how they are playing and Liel is in a great space right now. He’s done very well for us and he can still improve. I’m not worried about him.
“They all have to be really strong across the year. All of the wingers have all played a part and they have all contributed whatever combination has started or came on, which is great for us.
“We will need them at the moment. Some people think it’s a bit of a luxury to have all of these guys and they have all been fit for a while but it shows it can change quickly.
“James Forrest is out and Daizen is a doubt, so you see why we need plenty of cover.”
Postecoglou has hoovered up three trophies out of four in Scotland but would love to add the Scottish Cup.
He said: “Of course it’s special. It’s another chance to win a trophy for this football club. It’s obviously an important part of Scottish football but this is an opportunity for us to get to another semi-final.
“We understand it’s a cup game with no second chances. I enjoy going to Tynecastle but I enjoy all the games. It’s always a good atmosphere there. We have a few more fans there and that will add to the occasion, I’m looking forward to it and the players are as well.”
