ANGE POSTECOGLOU has joked Giovanni van Bronkhorst was a whisker away from getting a statue outside Ibrox and now he finds himself out of work.
Speaking ahead of the League Cup final on Sunday, the manager praised the strength of the opposition under Gio last season and believes there’s a fine line between success and failure in this business.
The Celtic manager also praised Michael Beale for changing how Rangers play to suit their current players. Ange spoke about the familiarity Beale would have had with the majority of the players and vice versa for the seamless transition.
Ange showing his class, but knowing full well his team are more than equipped to beat their rivals on Sunday.
“Michael has changed the way they play, gone back to a system and a style that probably suited the players that were there before.” Ange told SunSport.
“It’s been an easy transition for him and I think his players took a little bit of comfort from that.
“To be fair to Gio, he was a whisker away from having an historic year.
“He won a trophy, finished second in the league and got to the final of the Europa League. You change a couple of those things and they’re building statues to that guy. It’s a fine line.
“They were a very good side last year too. And they continue that this year.
“Whenever you change manager, particularly mid-season, it’s hard.
“But with Michael’s familiarity with the club and the players themselves, they got a bit of comfort and, although it was change, it was change that they knew and would suit them.
“They’re playing with more belief and you can see that in the consistency of the results.”
Ange had a good record against Gio, the only blemish a semi-final defeat at Hampden when the game went into overtime. That day we ended up with Anthony Ralston playing left-back and Stephen Welsh playing at right-back – we were so short on numbers due to injuries.
The Hoops boss is more focused on what his team can do than any opposition in front of him. But his comments show he has done his homeworld and knows exactly what he’s walking into at Hampden this weekend.
