Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou insists his team did "enough" to take top spot as he defends decision to switch penalty taker after spot-kick miss

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has defended his decision to nominate Giorgos Giakoumakis as his team’s penalty taker following the Greek’s saved spot-kick in the scoreless draw with Livingston.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou commiserates with Giorgos Giakoumakis following a miserable afternoon for the Greek striker. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

The striker’s unconvincing, saved effort in the 93rd minute prevented Celtic going top of the table on an afternoon of frustration against a doggedly-defiant Livingston, and came a week after a second successful spot-kick conversion from Josip Juranovic in Celtic colours. Yet, Postecoglou appeared unrepentant about the switch of his penalty-taker and backed Giakoumakis to bounce back from an agonising moment for him so early in his Celtic career that was followed, seconds later, by a missed sitter - starting with the Europa League encounter away to Ferencvaros on Thursday.

“He [Giakoumakis] was always taking the penalty. It was my decision,” said the Celtic manager. “He wasn't on the pitch last week when Juranovic took it and it was my call today. I don't think it will knock Giorgos. He understands the role of the striker. He's had this feeling before. The good strikers dust themselves off knowing that when the next chance comes they'll put it away. I'm sure that's what he'll do. That's what I'll be telling him to do. It's not about feeling sorry for yourself. That's his role in the team, he's got to be there and take opportunities when they come. He didn't today but if he gets himself in the right areas on Thursday I'm sure he'll take them.”

Postecoglou didn’t accept his team lacked a spark despite drawing a blank from an encounter that held major significance, with the home support exasperated their team could not deliver to go top. “I thought we got the spark. People will look at the end result and say we didn't do enough,” said the Celtic manager. “But we'd be talking about a different game if we'd taken the chances we had. You're not going to get better chances than that at the end in a game of football. The game's about scoring goals but it was elusive for us today. I'm sure the fans are just as frustrated as we are. That's two games now, this one and Dundee United here, where we didn't take our chances. We can't dwell on it.”

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