'He can strike at any time' - Celtic coach Harry Kewell lifts lid on Ange Postecoglou demands and Sydney Super Cup expectations

Harry Kewell has revealed that the demands of Celtic head coach Ange Postecoglou are so high that he dare not miss a beat while working under his fellow Australian.

The former Leeds and Liverpool midfielder joined the Hoops as a first-team coach this summer following managerial spells in charge of Notts County, Oldham and Barnet.

Both he and Postecoglou will return to their homeland next month for the Sydney Super Cup that will see Celtic take on Sydney FC, Sydney Wanderers and Everton in the four-team tournament. And Kewell has insisted that his boss will want to put on a show for the Australian public.

“We’ve got the two games out there and he will want to win them,” he told Optus Sport. “I can tell you now, he will want to win them. He will be full on. But it will be nice to show the Australian public what he’s all about. He’s got a Celtic team playing a certain type of football that is…rock and roll. It’s hardcore, it’s full on. It’s his style.

Harry Kewell during a Celtic training session at Lennoxtown. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

“We know that the manager’s always been about ball possession, wanting to control the game and has always had the high press, trying to run teams into the ground. It takes a lot out of the players, because it’s hard work.

“It’s easy to destroy. To just sit back and boot balls away. It’s harder to create, to constantly run at people and create space, but it’s fun. If everyone is on the same page, it works.

“In moments that I’ve seen, when players have maybe dropped their heads slightly, that’s where the fans kick in. With the chanting, constant cheering and driving the team forward. It gets them excited so when you do receive the ball, you want to go that extra mile.”

Revealing Postecoglou's intensity levels never drop, Kewell added: “Yeah, which I like because it keeps me on my toes. It makes you think right, have I got everything sorted? I’ve got to make sure because he demands. His standards are here and you feel like you have to be ready.

“He can strike at any time and you don’t want to be on the end of that. I just want to make sure my job’s done perfectly."