ANGE POSTECOGLOU is priming his team for Monday night football where they’ll look to grab a victory and a subsequent return to Hampden for a semi-final.
The Hoops have already got the League Cup in the bag, winning the final against Hibernian back in December.
It was a big moment for Ange and this new look Celtic side, many of the players participating in the final hadn’t won anything with the Hoops yet.
At the time, it was hailed as a massive win for the Hoops because nobody expected Ange to bag a trophy in his first six months in charge because of the disarray and upheaval he walked into back in the summer.
The final against Hibs was a major moment for the team who found a way to win, even when they went behind. Hibernian fans were still celebrating when Kyogo hit the back of the net, responding instantly. Kyogo’s second was a thing of beauty and sealed the victory for Ange and the team.
The manager always puts the focus on the players and doesn’t want to talk about himself, but when asked how he celebrated, the Hoops boss told the Sunday Mail he did take a quiet moment.
“I celebrated properly that night – but it will sound pretty boring to what other people have in mind.
“I just had a couple of quiet Scotches to myself and that was the extent of it for me.
“But I wanted to make sure the players celebrated because it was a fantastic day.
“The semi-final and Final at Hampden were sensational for me as Celtic manager. I enjoyed them immensely.
“It was important because it showed people we had made progress. We had a tough beginning to the season in terms of form and results.
“So, winning a trophy in the first half of the season was important as a marker for us.
“We acknowledged it, but also knew we had a game two days later. So, we used it as a good impetus for us.
“We didn’t rest on our laurels and say: ‘Okay, we’ve won a trophy, we are okay for the rest of the year’.
“If anything it whetted the appetite for more.”
It would be great to get back to Hampden and I’m sure the fans would do a whip-round for a good bottle of Scotch for Ange if we manage to win more silverware.
