The Australian turned unexpectedly caustic and cryptic in the post-match press conference following his team’s 2-0 win over Norwich City on Saturday. An encounter with which they completed their pre-season programme. Posed the perfectly reasonable question as to whether he had a starting team in mind for embarking on their title defence at home to Aberdeen on Sunday, he replied with a certain contempt. "Yes, I don't know what it is but I'll have a starting team and there will be at least 11 ready for it,” he said. "For me, what's important is that we have a team of players who are ready to go. I think we showed last season our ability to play games out strongly, and that was due to having a strong bench and players who could come on and do a job. So I don't look at it as starting or non-starting.”

Maybe, deep down, Postecoglou wanted to snap back: “If you have been paying any attention to the first XIs across the close season you’ll have a pretty fair idea who will be stripped for the cinch Premiership opener?” Because, when you break down the five most recent pre-season outings, Sunday’s starting line-up becomes pretty obvious.

Postecoglou is going to have issues and dilemmas in ensuring players continue to feel franchised across the campaign. It could be no other way when he has 23 players who will be pushing for regular game-time…hence his promoting the importance of bench contributions. The club did not lavish around £3.75m on Alexandro Bernabei for the Argentinian 21-year-old not to challenge Greg Taylor for minutes at left-back - the situation that exists with Josip Juranovic and Anthony Ralston on the other defensive flank. Likewise, Aaron Mooy hasn’t be signed simply to watch Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley, David Turnbull, James McCarthy and Yosuke Ideguchi vying for slots in Celtic’s midfield triangle. A domain where captain Callum McGregor’s presence is a given. Meanwhile, the club’s other most recent arrival Mortiz Jenz has been recruited to challenge at centre-back. Effectively with Stephen Welsh and, when he is restored to fitness, Carl Starfelt. It can be taken as read Cameron Carter-Vickers will be the performer to be partnered at the heart of the backline. And then there is Giorgos Giakoumakis, determined not to play second fiddle consistently to Kyogo Furuhashi for the solitary central striking role in Posteocoglou’s system.

However, at the present moment, the line-ups selected by the Celtic manager for the draws with Rapid Vienna, Banik Ostrava, Blackburn Rovers, Legia Warsaw and the Norwich win reveal pretty much all when it comes to the make-up of the Celtic side this weekend. Especially since Mooy and Jenz are not yet up to speed, while Giakoumakis missed two of the five games owing to paternity leave. It can be taken as read that none of the three will feature from the start against Jim Goodwin’s men.

Those who will seem pretty obvious. Joe Hart, Matt O’Riley, Carter-Vickers, McGregor and Welsh started every one of the quintet of encounters. There was a purpose from Postecoglou to them doing so. Drilling down deeper into the pre-season appearances, winger Jota began four of the five. Thereafter, it becomes a case of three out of five. Into that bracket can be placed Diazen Maeda, Juranovic, Taylor, Hatate and Furuhashi. And with that, what do you know, you have 11 players that cover every berth in the Celtic side.

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