Ange Postecoglou insists he does not need a rest; Celtic are six points behind leaders Rangers in the Premiership; the manager wants any January signings done early; he hopes to have some injured players back after the break
Tuesday 28 December 2021 10:49, UK
Ange Postecoglou will not take a winter break as he looks to strengthen his Celtic squad for the title chase.
The former Australia manager took charge of his 36th Celtic game on Boxing Day as his side rounded off the first half of the season with a 3-1 victory over St Johnstone.
He has experienced highs, lows and major challenges in his first six months in Glasgow and the latest obstacle came as a selection crisis left him without more than a full team of players in Perth.
Celtic have got to the break with the League Cup back in their trophy room, a six-point deficit on Premiership leaders Rangers to target as well as a Europa Conference League encounter with Bodo/Glimt to look forward to.
Postecoglou will now look to get some new signings over the line while his medical team work on getting players back and also utilise some rare time on the training ground to further instil his tactics on players.
"No breaks," the 56-year-old said. "We keep cracking on. There is plenty to do.
"We've been working on it for a while, knowing that we needed to strengthen the squad during January. This gives us a chance - with no games - to push along with that.
"Hopefully we get some good news in the new year and bring some reinforcements in.
"It's kind of been game-recovery for quite a while now. Just to be able to work with the players and work on our game and keep pushing and helping our game, it's going to be a crucial time for us and for the players."
Postecoglou claims he is not in need of personal downtime after enjoying Christmas morning with his family.
"I've got some young ones who were causing chaos with their gifts from Father Christmas," he said. "And that was great.
"But, look, I love what I do. I don't need to switch off. It's fine.
"I've really enjoyed the first six months, as challenging as it has been. I've enjoyed every minute of it and I know there are massive challenges ahead so I'm looking forward to that.
"I've got plenty of energy. We'll have plenty of time to switch off mate when I'm old and grey."
