ANGE POSTECOGLOU is preparing his Celtic players to go the distance in Sunday’s Viaplay Cup Final against Rangers at Hampden, revealing they have been practicing penalties at their Lennoxtown training ground in the build-up to the game.
The Celtic manager is leaving nothing to chance ahead of the clash with his team’s city rivals, after the Scottish Cup semi-final between the sides last season went all the way into the depths of extra-time before Rangers found a late winner.
Postecoglou is making sure that his team are ready should a similarly tight contest transpire on Sunday. When asked if he practices penalties as part of training this week, he quipped: “No I don’t mate, I’ve never taken one, but the players do!
“Yeah, you prepare for everything. There’s no part of the game I think you should dismiss, so everyone prepares as if it will go the distance, and that way there are no surprises on the day.”
Meanwhile, Postecoglou has revealed that he not only has the pressure of delivering silverware for the Celtic supporters this weekend, but also for those who have been following his coaching journey, some of whom are flying over from Australia for the final.
“I don’t have a massive network, to be fair, I’ve got a pretty small group of friends,” he said.
“But obviously being in the role I am, in a public sense there are a lot of people following my journey, whether that is Australian, Japan or whatever I’ve coached.
“I’m getting messages from people who have flown in for the game from Oz, so yeah, it is great you are sharing that with people you’ve known for quite a long time.
“Again, that is something I enjoy because whatever you do in life it is a helluva lot more meaningful if you share it with people.
“From my perspective, quite a few have been on the journey for a long time, and it is great to share it with them.”
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