Ange Postecoglou slams Celtic's "lack of discipline" in "unacceptable" 4-0 ending of Europa League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has rounded on his players for an “unacceptable” “lack of discipline” evident in the 94th minute loss of a fourth goal in the 4-0 Europa League whipping by Bayer Leverkusen on an evening when Celtic squandered a series of early opportunities.

Celtic Manager did not spare his players after the 4-0 home defeat. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

And he attributed the thinness of the squad he has been forced to work with as a consequence of widespread injury problems – partially alleviated by Kyogo Furuhashi’s return alongside captain Callum McGregor and striker Giorgios Giakoumakis’ debut as a late substitute – for denying him the ability to respond to any signs of laxity with personnel switch-ups.

“Up until now, we’ve been limited in the changes I can make. We are literally running with a squad of 14 or 15 at the moment, so it’s very hard to create artificial consequences for guys who are not concentrating, not being disciplined,” he said in relation to errors inherent in the goals conceded to a vibrant young German opponent.

“It’s not just the mistakes. There were times when, particularly at the end, the players need to be more disciplined because it shouldn’t have been a 4-0 game, irrespective of Bayer being a good side.

Celtic's David Turnbull and Anthony Ralston during a UEFA Europa League group stage match. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

“If we lost 2-0, we know we’ve created a lot of chances against a good side, but we fell away at the end through lack of discipline and for me that’s unacceptable. If we’d lost 2-0 tonight or 2-1, OK. But when you lose 4-0, it’s not enough. It’s disappointing and that scoreline shouldn’t have reflected that game.

“I can’t let the guys or myself off the hook. We are not going to change our approach. I really believe that moving forward when we play in these big games I want us to be a team that doesn’t fear anyone. I want to be a team that goes at it and takes the game to opponents.

“That’s the kind of team we’re going to be and that’s what I’m trying to build. The process, yes, it takes time and we are going to cop some knocks on the chin like we did tonight but that doesn’t mean you have to accept that. You need to understand that it’s avoidable if you do certain things.”

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