There's still an element of head scratching to be done where Ange Postecoglou and Celtic are concerned. As a matter of fact, it’s difficult to fathom just how on earth one man can have taken this club so far in such a short space of time having willingly run into harm’s way just 12 months ago, while Eddie Howe was leaving a trail of dust in the opposite direction.
Somehow, having arrived at the scene of a car crash last summer, Postecoglou is currently overseeing a wax and polish job on a squad he rebuilt almost in the blink of an eye, while preparing to take it on a lap of honour in the Champions League. None of this ought to have been remotely close to being possible.
But if we have learned anything about this big Aussie over his first year in Scottish football it’s surely that he revels in catching people completely by surprise. That’s going to be a hard job this time around, though, now that he has unmasked himself as a manager of serious credentials.
As a by-product of whipping Celtic into shape with his sleight of hand, Postecoglou has also sent the levels of expectancy shooting through the roof over what sort of sorcery might still be to come. In other words, he’s given himself a hard act to follow.
And yet the serenity of this summer’s transfer activity suggests that Postecoglou has got Celtic’s ducks in a row already ahead of what would ordinarily prove to be a difficult second season. Far from the frantic scattergun recruitment drive of this time last year, the champions have been able to build from a position of strength.
They have tied down Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jota and Daizen Maeda on permanent deals after bringing them in on loan last season. Benji Siegrist has been added to the group to provide Joe Hart with some genuine competition for the No.1 shirt and Argentinian youngster Alexandro Bernabei should offer an exciting option at left-back.
All in all, Celtic have quietly gone about the business of splashing out somewhere in the region of £17million to cement the foundations which Postecoglou laid down so hurriedly last summer. And it does feel as if this rebuild is just about complete.
A midfield enforcer and another centre-half might still be required to add a bit of muscle to the mix, but for the most part, Celtic look good to go as far as the coming campaign is concerned. And that is testament to the hard work and vision of a manager who has achieved more than ought to have been possible when he was first shoehorned into the position.
There may be some curmudgeonly Celtic fans out there who find it impossible to give credit where it is due, but even they must give a grudging nod towards former chief executive Peter Lawwell for making this happen in the first place.
They may have chased him out of office not that long ago but, before he left, Lawwell had the creative thinking to identify Postecoglou as the perfect parting present.
And right now the Australian appears to be the gift that keeps on giving. But Postecoglou’s next trick is likely to be the most demanding yet. Somehow he has to find a way of tweaking his team– and perhaps revisiting his own philosophy – in order to make Celtic fit for purpose in the Champions League.
Having crashed out of three European competitions last season, there is an onus on the manager to prove that he is capable of learning on the job and of not making the same mistakes all over again. Going into UEFA’s elite event with all guns blazing might seem like his idea of fun, but Celtic have been badly damaged on this stage often enough to know there’s not much to enjoy about being routinely pistol whipped in front of the watching world.
The very idea of adopting a more pragmatic approach may seem almost sacrilegious to Postecoglou, but he should give it some serious consideration nonetheless before sending his side out into the big boys’ playground where accidents tend to happen to those not properly protected. Domestically, however, with less than four weeks to go before the new season begins, it’s hard to see past Postecoglou and Celtic.
They are most certainly in pole position at this particular moment, while Rangers are in danger of stalling on the starting line having made heavy weather of the summer market so far. Yes, Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be delighted to have secured new contracts for stalwarts such as Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Connor Goldson as well as recruiting John Souttar from Hearts, but the Dutchman still has major issues to resolve.
If the trick for any manager is coming out of the window in better shape than you were going into it, then how can Van Bronckhorst be expected to get safely through to the other side if Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos are no longer part of his starting XI by the end of this month?
Replacing one of them would be challenging enough but the clock is ticking and all three remain in limbo having entered the final 12 months of their contracts without putting pen to paper on extensions.
That he’s also still waiting for the club to successfully conclude a £2m deal for PAOK striker Antonio Colak will have done little to lighten his mood. Van Bronckhorst needs urgent help from above if he is to have a realistic fighting chance against Postecoglou next time out, but as things stand, he’s being left hoping for the best.
He’ll want Colak delivered to his training ground no later than this week as well as some immediate answers over the intentions of Aribo, Kent and Morelos, because time waits for no manager in situations such as this.
Postecoglou proved last season that a major rebuild can be overseen in a short space of time. But he had full sight of what was required before he started packing his suitcase in Japan. If, on the other hand, van Bronckhorst should be blindsided by events over the next few weeks, then the task he faces in Glasgow may quickly prove even more difficult to overcome.
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