It's clear by now Ange Postecoglou is a great believer in the old saying that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.
Towards the end of last term it looked like playing back-to-back campaigns in Japan in Scotland was going to end poor Reo Hatate. The midfielder arrived with a bang in January and became an instant hero with his Old Firm double that sent Celtic on their way to the title. But a few months later and the 24-year-old seemed to be running on fumes and he even admitted himself he was feeling a tad clapped out.
It was understandable. Hatate played a full season with Kawasaki Frontale and then had to jump straight in to a title race in Scotland. The attacker also had to deal with moving from the other side of the world and getting used to his new surroundings.Little wonder he needed a bit of a lie down but it’s amazing what a short break can do. Hatate has returned for pre-season like a man on a mission. He’s back to the January impact and his show-stealing performances against Legia Warsaw and Norwich City have got fans frenzied about the prospect of what’s to come.
Last season might have nearly killed him – but Postecoglou is convinced the playmaker will be stronger for it. The Hoops boss said: “He needed a break but at the same time working through that difficult period last year was good for him. It showed him, it built some resilience into him, he feels fresh now. He had a little bit of a setback the other week and missed a few days’ training.
“But he’s made up for that and he’s looked really bright. Most of the team have looked pretty bright. Reo’s been good, but for all our players, they’ve enjoyed the fact that they had a pre-season with us. I keep saying that we threw a lot of these guys in last year and they did super well for us, and my belief is that they can be a lot better. That’s why we were really keen to retain the players we had last year and build on that, and Reo is one of them.”
Postecoglou is starting to see all the frantic planning of last season come to fruition this year. Delivering the title in year one was a remarkable feat achieved against the odds, when even Hoops diehards would have accepted just seeing their side competitive again on the back of the scarring 10 in a row campaign. Postecoglou brought the big prize home early but his eye was always on his second season, and making further improvements to his group.
Year one was a simple challenge. The Aussie had to cobble together practically a brand new starting line-up in jig time. The fact his hit rate for new recruits was so spectacular meant a year on it was a different objective – raising the entire standard of the squad.
Postecoglou’s January signings made such an impact they now look cast-iron starters, and turning Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers ’ loan deals in to permanent moves saved him from needing to dig out another two first-team stars. It’s been about adding quality in and around the side this summer, with the likes of Aaron Mooy, Moritz Jenz, Alexandro Bernabei and Benji Siegrist expected to provide back-up and challenges to the men currently holding down starting berths.
That’s not to say the manager is not constantly looking out for upgrades, but he recognises a squad is only as good as its weakest members. Postecoglou said: “This summer was more squad building and elevating the level of everyone. It had to be.
“I keep saying we’ve just got to be better than we were last year. We’re not going to be better if we stand still and don’t push these guys even further.
“The ones who were here last year too. It’s not just about the guys coming in, it’s about the guys from last year going up a level.
“That’s what we’re going to do, we’re going to push them and that’s what this pre-season is all about.”
Postecoglou feels his side are ready to roar.
They’ve packed a lot in to pre-season but the miles on planes and hard yards on the pitches have got Celtic to where they need to be going in to Sunday’s flag day opener against Aberdeen.
The Hoops have been to Austria, the Czech Republic and to Poland, with pit stops at Parkhead along the way.
Postecoglou reckons it’s all been worth it as his side are now on the right path.
He said: “We’ve been on the road a fair bit which I think is important for us because of Europe as well. We know that’s going to happen and we want to be able to do that midweek and weekend game with Europe in between. All this pre-season has been designed to set us up for the season.”
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