Postecoglou guides Celtic to relieving victory

A relieved Ange Postecoglou has celebrated his first competitive win as Celtic manager but the former Socceroos boss want more from the Hoops.

Postecoglou said Celtic had to be “honest” with themselves after a 4-2 away victory over Czech club Jablonec in Friday morning’s first leg of a Europa League third-round qualifier.

Celtic started well to lead 2-0 after 16 minutes but Postecoglou was left to lament missed opportunities and defensive frailties that have the contest still alive heading into next week’s second leg at Parkhead.

“We scored four goals, but we had some unbelievable opportunities to score more,” Postecoglou told reporters after the match.

“I felt we just didn’t control the game as well as we could have after 35 minutes.

“Defensively we were really open, but part of the reason for that is that we gave the ball away unnecessarily.

“There’s a whole range of reasons why the cohesion isn’t quite there yet.

“This group has been together for maybe 10 days, so I don’t want to be too hard on the players, but, at the same time, I want to make sure we are really honest with our analysis of our games.”

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Socceroos playmaker Tom Rogic was a second-half substitute for Celtic, while former England international goalkeeper Joe Hart debuted for the Hoops after his midweek move to the Glasgow giants from Tottenham.

“He didn’t have a lot to do and pulled off an important save at the end,” Postecoglou said of the 34-year-old ex-Manchester City gloveman.

“He will get a better understanding of how we want to play and how we want to defend. I’m sure that experience will help him with that.”

In his first start for Celtic, Japanese striker Kyogo Furuhashi scored, with Liel Abada, James Forrest and substitute Ryan Christie also finding the back of the net for the Hoops.

“The result is obviously a positive one,” Postecoglou said. said the manager after the match. “It’s important for the players who have been working hard, and I think in every competitive game we’ve played we’ve had an opportunity to win which we haven’t done.

“This is our reward for that and hopefully gives us some confidence and belief moving forward.”

After a 2-1 away loss to Hearts last weekend, Celtic will hope to kickstart their Scottish Premier League campaign with a home victory over Dundee on Monday morning (AEST).

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