Ange Postecoglou has told his Celtic young guns not to let a big Champions League opportunity pass them by. And the Parkhead boss is backing stand-in stoppers Moritz Jenz and Stephen Welsh to lay the platform for a huge display against RB Leipzig.
Postecoglou and his team hit the halfway mark in Group F and a first section success could catapult them into a strong position to progress. Although the manager knows it’s about growing game-on-game and relative success at this high level can’t just be instantly achieved, he’s also big on not wasting openings.
Postecoglou believes in his team grasping chances when they come along and, while many of the team are new to the arena of Europe’s elite, it’s not a barrier to their aspirations. The manager said: “It’s great. It’s how you can develop quickly. Nothing beats that kind of experience, provided you go out there with a positive mindset and don’t let the game pass you by.
“It goes for a lot of our players. For most of them, it is their first experience of Champions League football. We are really big on making sure they don’t waste the experience and let it pass them by without making an impact. That’s what football is about. Every game is a challenge. It’s about keeping on performing at this level and if you keep performing you give yourself a chance to win games.
“All you can do is be prepared to take on the challenge ahead. Our first two games have been pretty good from a performance perspective. We felt in the first game we did well for about an hour then fell away. The second game, our performance was strong. It was a game we could have won. It’s not just about performance, it’s about the opposition as well.
“There’s a bit more to it than just converting chances. This is Champions League football. You don’t just make progress overnight. It’s stuff you build on. We’re under no illusions that this is going to be another massive challenge. There’s no quick fix.”
Quick fix is a term which could be used to describe his backline in the absence of key men Cameron Carter Vickers and Carl Starfelt. Aaron Mooy is also out and Liel Abada is absent for religious reasons, but it’s injury to the American and the Swede which means a new-look Champions League defence is needed for Leipzig. Jenz and Welsh, who have started the last two domestic games together, now have the job of handling the hosts’ outstanding attacking unit, but, again, Postecoglou just sees opportunity.
He said: “Carl and Cam are pretty much mainstays for us. They hardly missed a game. They have both had different issues. That’s meant that Welshy and Moritz have got an opportunity and it’s a great opportunity for them. A good challenge for them. A centre-half playing as a pairing requires understanding, but, in both games they have played so far, they have got better at understanding each other’s movements.
“I am sure they are looking forward to it because they have got some real attacking threats. They are both going to have to be on top of their games, but we can help them with that. Our concentration is on the guys who are fit and ready to go. Different players bring their own qualities to the game. Cameron is a different type of centre half to Carl. Moritz and Welshy are similar. It doesn’t change the way we play. These guys have different strengths and ways of contributing to the team.”
Jenz and Welsh will have to be strong because Leipzig are returning to their best form. Newly-installed boss Marco Rose has lifted the mood and the performances since taking over the axed Domenico Tedesco and the Germans have fired seven goals without reply in their last two home games against Dortmund and Bochum.
Postecoglou isn’t foxed by the fact they sit 11th in the Bundesliga as, when asked if that was a false position, he said: “I think so. They have become almost an established Champions League side, experienced certainly at European level over the last few years.
“They have players who have been there and experienced it. Irrespective of their league form, they rise to these games. They want to play at this level. You can see that their fortunes are beginning to turn around. I would be very surprised if they stay in that position in the league in the next few weeks.
"Every game is a challenge. That’s the nature of the competition. Every team you play is a top quality side, so, irrespective of what’s happened before, the next task is to take on the challenge that’s before you. Leipzig are a top quality team and with them being at home it’s a fantastic challenge for us. We just need to keep performing at the levels we know we can.”
Rose’s high intensity style is similar in some respects to the Postecoglou approach and he added: “There are definitely elements of their game that are like ours. Both clubs are very aggressive in the way they attack and defend. I like those kinds of teams.
“The football I want us to play is because I believe it can be successful, but also because I think it is exciting and it’s what the fans want to see. I like to see teams with similar make-ups. They are of interest to me. From our perspective, that’s the challenge.
“We are meeting a team that have similar characteristics to us. Not totally the same. And it’s how we cope with it. From our perspective it’s about what we do. Since Marco Rose went in a few weeks ago, you can see they are hitting their straps in terms of a style of football and having a better understanding. Their result at the weekend was excellent. They have fantastic players. We know what to expect.”
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