Ange Postecoglou calls for no Celtic fear in Europe as he tells players 'I’ll take responsibility if it goes wrong'

It's no exaggeration to suggest Ange Postecoglou did not like what he saw in Leipzig last week. It wasn’t so much the result which ground the Big Aussie’s gears so badly, even though the 3-1 defeat against Red Bull clipped Celtic’s Champions League wings.

As far as he’s concerned, accidents like this will happen from time to time when he takes ‘his football’ and rolls it out onto the most dangerous stage in Europe. No, it was the sight of his players retreating into their shells and resorting to a low risk, safety-first strategy which turned a bad night into an intolerable one for a manager who refuses to take a single backwards step.

That’s why he staged ‘an intervention’ at Lennoxtown last week, to remind his men of what Ange-ball is meant to be all about. And it’s why he’s prepared to cop the blame on their behalf tonight, if any further Group F points should be taken back to Germany by the same Bundesliga big guns.

“It’s not easy. Again, it’s human nature, particularly with the group of players we have. They’re still experiencing something new,” Postecoglou said yesterday when asked how he plans on coaxing the bravery back out of them.

“It’s by trying to show them that they have protection if things go wrong. I’ll take the responsibility for it. Don’t fear.

“It’s only human nature that, playing away from home in a Champions League game and you’ve equalised, you feel like you are really in the game. You’ll tighten up a little bit and think, ‘Jeez, a point in Leipzig would be brilliant! We don’t want to give away this point Instead of passing forward, maybe I’ll just hit the safe pass. Instead of making a run forward, maybe I’ll just sit here in case we lose the ball.’

“So, that’s all part of the process. It’s just