Ange Postecoglou faces Celtic Euro barometer against Shakhtar Donetsk after Real Madrid free hit

Ange Postecoglou has spent the past 15 months building it up. Now, with a settled squad and the challenge more Real-istic, it is time for more detailed judgements in Europe. Postecoglou and his team were, quite correctly, placed under no pressure to deliver when going into continental competition last season.

There isn’t a manager in the world who could have inherited the shambles he did that summer and got such an unfurnished squad through the Champions League qualifiers. The failure at the first hurdle to Danish side FC Midtjylland was no fault of the Aussie.

Postecoglou managed to steer his team beyond FK Jablonec and AZ Alkmaar to gain entry to the group stages of the Europa League and there were encouraging signs throughout the campaign with a team that wasn’t properly built or gelled. Celtic didn’t get through their section, but three wins from six group games was not a bad return. It offered signs of progress and landed them a post-Christmas spot in the Conference.

It’s personal choice how the 5-1 aggregate defeat to Norwegians Bodo/Glimt at the start of this year is viewed. It is fair to suggest that the Scottish Premiership title race and the opportunity to gain automatic entry to these group stages in the Champions League was the main motivation for Celtic at the time of that double header.

That was fairly evident when the teamsheets for the second leg in freezing Bodo were handed out with a host of regulars left out. But any doubters will, perhaps with some justification, point to the fact that choice only came following a disappointing 3-1 defeat for the first-pick line-up in the opening leg.

Domestic bliss made that exit irrelevant by May with this assault on the premier competition becoming the