Why it is positive at Celtic right now as Ange Postecoglou's men show different side

Fir Park against a combative, dogged and energetic Motherwell after an international break. One of those ‘difficult places to go’, especially for a side who had only just notched their first league away win since February. There was an expectation that Celtic would come unstuck in ML1.

Celtic closed the gap to Rangers to four points on Saturday with a win over Motherwell. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

Graham Alexander has built a side that can make it very difficult for opponents. Just ask Aberdeen and Rangers.

The Dons had more than 70 per cent of possession and 20 shots to the Steelmen's six. Yet, they lost 2-0. As for Rangers. They had 24 shots and 66 per cent of the ball at Ibrox but could only manage a draw.

They know how to persuade teams and individual players from their comfort zone.

Celtic defender Carl Starfelt. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Celtic's visit to Fir Park could therefore have been viewed one of two ways. A trip to be feared or one to be relished, showing the win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie before the international break wasn’t an outlier.

In the opening stages, the scales were tipping towards the former. There was hesitation and indecision, a feature of the side which has been seen all too often.

Joe Hart got the ball caught under his feet in the six-yard box. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Callum McGregor got in a mix-up, while the movement building from the back was disjointed.

The performance

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Then they took control, Callum McGregor popping the ball about like the whizz on the pinball machine, and they didn't relent, helped by Motherwell's lack of ball-playing finesse in the middle of the park, winning 2-0 thanks to two excellent, albeit different goals through Jota and David Turnbull.

It was the performance which Celtic needed.

Watching Ange Postecoglou’s men is an experience. Some teams can go through the motions, Celtic put you through all the emotions.

At times it can be like going down the most intense water slide in the world. Your heart races, your stomach feels like it is about to escape via your mouth, you don’t know how it is going to end.

At Fir Park, after a hectic start, it was like being on the lazy river, bobbing along on an inflatable donut.

Celtic controlled the ball with nearly 70 per cent of possession and gave up very few chances to a Motherwell side who hit the target just once, recording their lowest xG (expected goals) figure this season and whose best player, by far, was centre-back Bevis Mugabi.

It showed there is a different side to this Celtic team as they kept their first away clean sheet in all competitions since the final game of last season.

Grow and grow

“It is nice as a defender to get a clean sheet, of course,” defender Carl Starfelt said. “Also for the whole team, but the most important thing is that we win.

“We gave a very solid performance and I felt we dominated most parts of the game. To win 2-0 makes us very happy as it was away from home and it is not easy to go there, so I think we did a good job.

“I think we will continue to grow and grow.

“It is one clean sheet and we should not fly away with that. We need to keep working hard and we have stuff that we need to keep working on.

“It started by keeping the ball well. That gives them little time to be able to attack us. It starts there. When they got the ball, we had control over their strengths."

Such are the demands at Celtic, players and managers are not given any timeline. The only time which matters is the present.

But there can’t be any real surprise if there are imperfections under Postecoglou, a manager dealt a bad hand. The Greek-born Aussie has a tough exterior to read and has been keeping his cards close enough to his chest to keep him from folding.

Players are beginning to understand, relationships such as Starfelt and Carter-Vickers are forming and progress is being made.

‘Step in the right direction’

“I feel we are getting more and more comfortable with each other and also just the way we are playing,” the Swede said.

“I don’t think we have reached our maximum performance yet, but we are playing better and better and that is an important thing.

“The more you play alongside someone, the more you begin to understand each other.

"But it’s not just about two players, it’s about the whole team and I think we have so many games that you have to change players.

“It’s about having a strong core on the pitch. When you have that, you can change players here and there and it will still be stable.

“I feel we are taking a step in the right direction.”

And there are players to come back. James Forrest is making strides as is Christopher Jullien, a player whose quality and importance has increased the longer he has been out.

The Frenchman will be putting pressure on Starfelt who is still finding his way in Scottish football. But for Celtic it can only be a good thing.

“I haven’t seen him play too much, but I think he’s a good player,” he said.

“He’s a great guy and I’ve trained with him in a couple of sessions. He is looking sharp and we hope to have him back soon.

“We had some injuries and some guys coming in late like myself, but now I feel we have most of our players back and some more who are really experienced are also coming back.

“So it’s positive and so was the last game. It’s positive at Celtic right now.”

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