Postecoglou eyes ‘special season’ after cup win

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has his sights on a “special season” after picking up the Viaplay Cup.

Celtic enjoy a nine-point lead in the defence of the Premiership title and are in the last eight of the Scottish Cup.

“You start every season hoping it’s a special season,” said Postecoglou when asked about the prospect of a treble.

“But we’ll enjoy tonight and it’s important we celebrate tonight because the staff and the players, everyone at the football club have worked hard for this.

“The supporters too deserve to celebrate this moment. But, once we’ve done that in the right way, we’ll focus on next week against St Mirren.”

Celtic visit Paisley on league duty next Sunday, the scene of their only domestic defeat this season.

“We haven’t had many off days because we never look too far ahead and never look to far back,” added Postecoglou. “That’s why we have been so relentless in our approach.

“We’ve been consistent for a very long time. We don’t let our standards slip in terms of our football.”

‘We earned it by doing all facets of the game’

No team has ever relinquished a nine-point lead in the closing 12 games of a top flight campaign, so Postecoglou is well placed to match the double of his debut campaign.

If the Australian can clinch the Scottish Cup too, it would be a fifth treble for the club in seven years.

Celtic controlled much of the first half at Hampden, with Kyogo making that superiority count with the first of two close-range finishes on 44 minutes.

His second came soon after Fashion Sakala had missed a great chance to level and, when Rangers did get one back through Alfredo Morelos, Postecoglou’s side stood firm to see out victory.

“It’s a cup final and rarely will one side dominate, although I thought we were fantastic in terms of our football in such a big game with the atmosphere the way it was, we scored two excellent goals,” Postecoglou said.

“Credit to Rangers they stuck in and went a bit more direct and we had to defend a lot and they got some encouragement from their goal.

“But we have a real resilient group of players and the back four were outstanding in dealing with what they needed to deal with in terms of crosses.

“We had to navigate a sticky patch and finished strong and probably should have put the game away but we earned it by doing all the facets of the game.”

‘Only one driver at Celtic’

Celtic and Rangers last met in a League Cup final in December 2019.

Captain Callum McGregor was the only player from that 1-0 win four years ago to start at Hampden, which illustrates the scale of the overhaul under Postecoglou’s watch.

And it’s a transformation that’s been overseen almost single-handedly.

“There’s only one driver at Celtic,” said impressed former Rangers winger Neil McCann after the final. “Ange is in front – and I don’t see him stopping.

“He’s been a brilliant acquisition for the club. His drive for success and application levels have been quite incredible.”