Sometime a good talking to just doesn’t cut it.
So on Thursday morning a dissatisfied Ange Postecoglou gathered his players around him inside Celtic ’s Lennoxtown HQ and staged an intervention. Still bristling from a second half capitulation to the previous night in Leipzig, Postecoglou decided this was precisely the moment to send out a strong reminder of what Angeball is meant to be all about.
It wasn’t so much the result which was eating away at the big Aussie even though a 3-1 Champions League thumping against the Germans has left him anchored to the bottom of Group F at its midway stage. No, rather it was the manner of the second half performance which drove the manager to distraction. When he demanded that his men showed the courage to stick to the process he felt they were guilty of abandoning it and disappearing into their shells. Intervention required.
Postecoglou growled: "My role is to intervene at this moment. If I don't then what is the point of being the manager of this club? My role is to show them the way forward and give them the solutions that exist to make sure we deal with those scenarios differently. I will look at different aspects of the game with the players. We did our video review - as we always do - and we give them the opportunity to use the tools and the resources to deal with it better next time.”
In the immediate aftermath of Wednesday night’s defeat, Postecoglou accused his players of straying way off message from the moment they dragged themselves level shortly after the break. He said he sensed a collapse was coming because his side was playing it so ‘safe’ that RB Leipzig were almost invited to dominate proceedings from that point.
If this sounded like a harsh appraisal dished out in the heat of the moment then subsequent thinking time has done nothing to soften the manager’s mood. If anything, he’s doubled down on it.
Asked if the players agreed with his on the spot assessment he went on: “Yeah, you have to live through the experience of games like that. Nothing else can replicate going through the process of living it. You can prepare for it but those sort of games are about experiencing it. But it's about how you live that experience. You can waste it if you look for different reasons as to why you lost, and not the important stuff.
For us, there are key components in our game. When we do them well, we are a very good football side. When we go away from that against other teams with strong identities, you struggle. We have to be at our best and the players recognise that. They have lived through it and it's an opportunity to improve.”
There is a debate to be had here, of course. It could be that these players are simply not well enough equipped to satisfy the manager’s tactical demands and survive at such an elite level at the same time. Or that Postecoglou is being too stubborn and ideological when some managerial pragmatism is what is really required. But it’s a debate with which the man in charge has no intention of engaging.
He continued: "I know people just measure outcomes for the most part, which is understandable. But I am not going to shirk away from the football team we want to be, how we want to play and approach things. We want to match up with the best and that is how the best play their football. That is what we want to aspire to be.
We are not out there to survive. We are not out there to salvage reputations or minimise damage. We are out there to make an impact. In my view, the only way to make an impact is to take these teams on. Leipzig are a fantastic team, a Champions League side with a lot of players who have been with them for many years.
They are well schooled in how they play their football and have some real quality. They have also been consistent with their approach and that is how we want to be, and what we aspire to be. That is why we will continue down the road we have started.”
This Aussie is not for turning. Nor is he interested in apportioning blame to just one individual even though Joe Hart’s personal aberration was what gifted Leipzig a second goal.
Despite declining to confirm that the keeper will wear Callum McGregor ’s armband for today’s trip to face St Johnstone, Postecoglou said: "It's not about Joe Hart. That's the point I made after the game. It has nothing to do with individuals. It's about us as a team.
Joe Hart doesn't lose a game, this football club loses a game. I am not interested in how individuals react to things as if they carry the burden for the defeat. Ultimately, the team lost the game - not one person. It's not about Joe Hart or anyone else, it's about us as a team maintaining our levels and concentration, particularly at Champions League level where mistakes are going to get punished.
Once people start thinking about things on an individual basis, you start to lose your way. That stuff is irrelevant. It's not about how Joe responds to making a mistake, it's about how we respond as a team to not getting the job done.”
With McGregor now facing a stretch on the treatment table, Postecoglou has some serious selection issues on which to ponder ahead of the trip to Perth. Oliver Abildgaard and Yosuke Ideguchi could come into contention to fill the captain’s boots with Giorgios Giakoumakis and Liel Abada also likely to start.
Postecoglou said: "We will have a look at how everyone is but we do have a few players who are waiting for an opportunity and there might be a chance to get them game-time. St Johnstone played midweek and were disappointed to lose, so at home they are going to make it hard for us.
We will need to have plenty of energy and intensity to our game, so it makes sense to make some changes. But we will wait and see how everyone looks before making changes.”
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