Martin O'Neill sees no cause for alarm at Celtic Park in the face of Ange Postecoglou’s burgeoning reputation south of the border.
The Parkhead manager will lead his team into Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers in search of the same treble O’Neill captured in 2001. Postecoglou’s side are on the cusp of a second consecutive title and his exploits have reportedly put him on Chelsea’s radar.
But O’Neill says the manager’s happiness in Glasgow should not be underestimated as a significant factor in determining his future.
‘He looks to me, from a distance, really happy here,” O’Neill said. “I think that genuinely means a lot.
“I came up here in 2000 having left Leicester. I wouldn’t have left Leicester for too many teams even in the Premier League.
“I came up here and of course you have to win. If you are winning then your life is going to be a lot better.
‘I wouldn’t have changed this for anything. Absolutely. And his experiences here, I don’t think he’d change.
“He’s on such a run at the moment, regardless of what happens at the weekend, that I think he’d want to continue.
“I’m not speaking for him but I would be surprised if he did not want to have a real crack at the Champions League next season, to pull Celtic into that sphere.”
Ahead of Sunday’s titanic contest at the Hampden, meanwhile, O’Neill believes the pressure is building on Michael Beale and Rangers to show they can get one over Celtic.
“In recent years Rangers have been in the doldrums really,” he said. “They got relegated for a couple of years and then came back into the league so they are trying to get a little bit of strength about them.
“I thought their run in the Europa League was terrific, really terrific, and I thought that was them back. But Celtic have been able to stamp a bit of authority over them and Rangers have really got to start winning some of the big games. They’ve got to beat Celtic for a start, obviously, home or away. And this is a big opportunity for them, obviously.”
Martin O’Neill was promoting Viaplay’s live and exclusive coverage of Rangers v Celtic on Sunday. Viaplay is offering a special limited-time offer for Scottish football fans available until Sunday only. Visit viaplay.com for more information.
