Ange Postecoglou names 'wasteful' Celtic star and Reo Hatate injury update given

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou described Jota as one of the "main culprits” in a “wasteful” end to the first-half as the Scottish champions ran out 2-0 winners over Aberdeen to kick off their league season.

The Australian felt lessons needed to be learned regarding aspects of the team's play on ‘Flag Day’ at Celtic Park.

Stephen Welsh gave the home side the perfect start, heading in a Matt O’Riley corner after three minutes but after dominating much of the opening 45 minutes, Postecoglou was left frustrated with the way the team wasted both possession and chances.

“I thought we started the game really well and the first half hour we were really good," he said. “We got control of the game and were creating opportunities.

“The last 15 minutes of the first half we got slack with our passing and were not as aggressive with our press on the ball. We let the game be more open than it should have been, which was disappointing.

“I thought after the break we got control again and we finished strongly. It was a solid performance but we were just wasteful in front of goal.

“I was disappointed because I thought we could have been a lot more clinical with the chances we created. If we had taken them we could have put the game well to bed.

“It was a decent workout for us. Our movement was good and our passing was good. But, we could have had more chances if we made better decisions in the final third.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

“Sometimes you can fall into the trap of knowing we will create loads of opportunities and because of that you are not as focused as you should be.

“My view is we are creating opportunities so let's take as many as we can."

‘Addressed at half-time’

Jota produced a moment of brilliance in the second half with a wonderful strike past Kelle Roos to make it 2-0 but Postecoglou offered up some critical analysis.

Jota scored a brilliant goal to make it 2-0 Celtic. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

“There is no doubt the boy has talent and he is determined to be the best footballer he can be," he said. “But, he was one of the main culprits in the last 15 minutes of the first half. He was wasteful with the ball and he gave away possession when he didn't have to.

“These are the kind of things we have to avoid. We have to keep these guys on track and not let them get away from the things we want them to do.

“The good thing is he addressed it at half-time and in the second half, not just his goal but his general play was really good. He was dangerous, threatening and doing the team stuff as well.

“There are lessons in there for everyone. I didn’t shout or give him a going over. At the same time you need to address the issues at hand. You can’t just dismiss the last 15 minutes of the first half.

“There are lessons in there as other teams may punish you in that period.”

Postecoglou also offered an update on Reo Hatate who went off in the second half.

"He copped a couple of hard knocks to be fair and he was a bit sore after the game," he said.