Injuries aside in recent times, most fans could name Celtic’s starting XI every week.
Ange Postecoglou clearly has a preferred strongest starting line-up; with the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt at the back, Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate in midfield, and Kyogo up top with Jota and Daizen Maeda on either side of him.
However, it would be fair to say that the likes of Yuki Kobayashi, Tomoki Iwata, and Oh have all shown promising glimpses in their limited game time in a Hoops jersey to date.
Since their respective January arrivals, none have really cemented themselves in Celtic’s team on a regular basis.
But Postecoglou insists each player will prove their worth and get the game time they desire as the demands of the club’s fixture schedule ramps up around September this later this year.
He said: “Out of all the guys who came in January Alistair has been unusual because apart from Josip leaving, and Tony Ralston getting injured so he’s kind of been our only fit right-back.
“Look back at the start of the year we had both Carl and Cameron out at the same time. People forget that in the early part of the season, with European football and fixture congestion, you need a strong squad.
“Yuki and Tomoki and big Oh might not be getting much time now but we are going to need them at the start of next year. They are going to be key contributors. Haksabanovic too. All those guys will get a full pre-season with us and an opportunity to hit the ground running.
“Once European football hits, the demands of being in the Champions League are high. The key to us being in the position we are in the league now is that during that Champions League experience, some really tough games, our league form never wavered.
“That’s because we had guys stepping in and performing at really good levels. The Champions League experience is fantastic but it can also be disruptive so we have to make sure we have a strong enough squad to cope with that. Guys like Haksabanovic and the other boys will play a big role in that.
“We are in the midst of still having to achieve things… We have a cup semi-final this weekend and we still haven’t won the league.
“We are in a great position but until those things are done you don’t want to look beyond that. We want to get the maximum out of the season that is before us.
“There will be a time for that. But certainly, I’m looking forward to the end of this season, hopefully finishing strongly and bringing more success to the club.”
Today marks the fifth derby encounter between the Hoops and Rangers this season.
He’s been on fire all season, but one player who has certainly lit up the fixture in 2023 is Kyogo. The Japanese forward has scored in each of the three games between Glasgow’s big two this year.
It seems unlikely that he won’t have a big say in how the semi goes in Mount Florida.
After the last derby match, Postecoglou joked that he didn’t want to heap too much praise on the 28-year-old in case other clubs were listening intently.
But the Australian insists Kyogo will have nothing more than this game on his mind. He added: “I know what Kyogo is like. If he is thinking about anything other than Sunday I would be very, very surprised.
“And that’s the way we’ve got to do things. As I’ve said all along, my role in that is to keep preparing this team and those players to be the best they can be.
“Whatever comes along, you deal with it and you use it as an opportunity to continue what you have started.
“I don’t think about whether players will be here or not be here, what I look at is that they are here right now. And as long as they are here, and hopefully they are here for a very long time, I will push them to be the best they can be and they will get the most out of their football career. Kyogo is certainly one of those.”
The signing of Alistair Johnston proved that Postecoglou and his recruitment team are always working away in the background to regenerate the squad. The Canadian has become an instant fan favourite and looks to be every bit as good as his predecessor Josip Juranovic.
He continued: “I have always tried to come out of every window stronger than when we went in. We did that last January (2022). We did it last summer and this January too.
“You can see that in the way the team is playing – we are a better side than we were last year. You are constantly looking to use every window as an opportunity to improve, but sometimes that doesn’t mean bringing players in.
“We signed Cameron and Jota last summer, and they have been fantastic signings for us, even though they were here the year before.
“I knew they were going to be better this year than they were last. Improvement in every window doesn’t always mean people coming in. It just means that you feel you are in a stronger position by the end of that window. I feel that’s been the case in every window so far.”
The manager also dismissed any notion of boredom setting into his side’s ranks with regard to the frequency of derby matches.
“Look it’s only my second year so I certainly don’t feel that way,” he insisted. “I don’t know whether others do but every time these games are just different.
“Playing at Ibrox is different to playing at Celtic Park. Playing a cup semi-final is different from playing a final. They all take a different context so it’s not like this is a similar scenario. I certainly don’t feel that way, I know the players don’t and the supporters don’t either. So, we are looking forward to it and excited by the prospect.”
