Celtic's Ange Postecoglou has say on Matty Longstaff "long ball" and "fight" appraisals of time in Scotland

There was much derision inside these borders over Matty Longstaff’s claim that Aberdeen played “a bit of a long ball game”.

As the Newcastle United midfielder this week exited Pittodrie for Mansfield only six months into a loan deal originally set up to cover the season, he also stated that in the Scottish top flight “everything was more of a fight” than its global-leading English equivalent.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou, whose team have now faced every side home and away going into their second visit to Pittodrie, would frame the football played in this country differently, even in appearing to find common ground with the 21-year-old on the scrapping angle.

“I think there is a variety of styles. It depends,” Postecoglou said of the, somewhat unfair, extrapolation from Longstaff’s comments that he was suggesting it was all kick-and-rush in Scotland. “With us, it is a little bit different because a lot of teams will set up more defensively. When I watch games between other teams you can see different styles, different systems. But the one thing you can’t shy away from is that it is a competitive league; it’s not an easy league. Sometimes, particularly when they are from down south, players will come up here and somehow – maybe because the profile of the clubs isn’t high – think they’ll get easy games, or get time.

“You don’t get time and space up here. It doesn’t matter who you are playing against. It is very, very competitive. It’s why I think it is a good league for young players because if you can handle the competitiveness of the league here, then that sets them up. We have seen it with our players, particularly the foreigners. They need to adjust and understand that every game is a battle. Home or away, it is