ANGE Postecoglou last night indicated that he could turn to James Forrest in the Champions League encounter with RB Leipzig at Parkhead tonight due to the winger’s vast experience.
Postecoglou will be without his captain Callum McGregor, a veteran of many big European nights in the East End of Glasgow, due to the knee injury that is going to sideline the midfielder until after the Qatar 2022 finals.
Forrest has hardly featured for the Scottish champions in the 2022/23 campaign despite signing a new three year deal in the summer – the winger has made just five appearances as a substitute.
However, the 31-year-old looked bright when he came on in the second-half of the cinch Premiership match against St Johnstone in Perth on Saturday and helped the visitors to triumph 2-1.
Postecoglou admitted the Scotland internationalist’s experience of playing against top class European opposition could prove invaluable to his young team this evening in the absence of McGregor.
“When you are putting together a squad of players, sometimes from the outside people will say: Just get 25 good players and that’s it, you’re done’,” he said.
“That’s not how it works. Within a squad you need different types of players, different types of personalities, different levels of experience, if you are going to get through a season.
“The reason James is with us is because I know I can rely on him in big games, I know he has that experience. He trains really well every day, he is ready for his opportunities.
“He came on on Saturday and I thought he made a real difference for us. He is guy who I have no fear about playing tomorrow night.
“He is not one who is going to be overwhelmed by the experience. That is why he is in the group and I am sure he will make a contribution.
“He can bring the experience that Callum has. That is what you are looking for, particularly in games like tomorrow night. We are going to need others to fill that breach and he is one who can.”
Postecolou felt that his players were too defensive after they equalised in the second-half of the Champions League match against Leipzig in Germany last week – and allowed their opponents to score two goals and win 3-1 as a result.
But the Greek-Australian coach is optimistic that Cameron Carter-Vickers and his team mates will not fall into that trap this evening because they will have the majority of the 60,000-strong crowd roaring them on.
“It’s not easy,” he said. “It’s human nature, particularly with the group we have. They’re still experiencing something new.
“It’s only human nature that, playing away from home in a Champions League game and you’ve equalised, you feel like you are really in the game. You’ll tighten up a little bit and think: ‘Jeez, a point in Leipzig would be brilliant, we don’t want to give away this point.’
“’Instead of passing forward, maybe I’ll just hit the safe pass. Instead of making a run forward, maybe I’ll just sit here in case we lose the ball. So, that’s all the process. It’s just human nature.
“It’s about trying to show the players and get them to understand that’s not the way we’ve set up to play, it’s not going to help us in our endeavour to be successful. And if it does go wrong in doing what I want them to do then I’ll take responsibility.”
Asked if playing at home would help Celtic to execute their attacking game plan, Postecoglou said: “Yes, I think so. Absolutely that’s the case.
“Even the first game against Real, I think if Callum’s strike goes in instead of hitting the post, I don’t think you would’ve seen us going into our shell, even at 1-0 up against Real.
“I think, with the crowd behind them and being at home, that would’ve encouraged you. But, again, we’ve got to experience all these things.
“But again it’s another level up. So for me it’s just part of the journey we’re on, part of the process we’ve got to go through.”
He added: “If you want to improve, if you wat to get better, you’ve got to get out of that sort of insecurity you have about anything and be bold in your approach. That’s my view, anyway.
“Others will have a different view. But that’s kind of my view why we play our kind of football. It’s why we take the approach we do.
“It’s why I sign the players I have and put the team together the way I have because it’s designed to play this kind of football.
“If I had a different approach and we were set up a bit more defensively structured, I’d have different players in there and we’d play a different way. So, it doesn’t suit us anyway.”
