Ange Postecoglou called for a more “decisive” Celtic after the Hoops opened their Scottish Premiership title defense with a 2-0 home win against Aberdeen.
In front of 60,000 fans at Parkhead, Celtic made the perfect start when defender Stephen Welsh scored in just the third minute.
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However it took until the 75th minute for the Hoops to seal their win via a brilliant goal from Portuguese attacker Jota.
Former Socceroos coach Postecoglou – embarking on his second season in charge of the Glasgow giants and now having a coaching staff that includes Australian great Harry Kewell – wasn’t entirely satisfied with his side’s performance despite the victory.
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Postecoglou was especially frustrated with Jota’s lack of cutting edge in the first half.
“There is no doubt the boy has talent and he is determined to be the best footballer he can be,” Postecoglou told Clyde Radio.
“But, he was one of the main culprits in the last 15 minutes of the first half.
“He was wasteful with the ball and he gave away possession when he didn’t have to. These are the kind of things we have to avoid.
“We have to keep these guys on track and not let them get away from the things we want them to do.
“The good thing is he addressed it at halftime and in the second half, not just his goal but his general play was really good.”
It wasn’t just Jota that was wasteful in front of goal, but the entire team too.
“It was a solid performance but we were just wasteful in front of goal,” Postecoglou said.
“I was disappointed because I thought we could have been a lot more clinical.
“Sometimes you can fall into the trap of knowing we will create loads of opportunities and because of that you are not as focused as you should be.
“My view is we are creating opportunities so let’s take as many as we can. “
Socceroos midfielder Aaron Mooy, who joined Celtic less than two weeks ago, was among the substitutes and entered the contest in the final 10 minutes as a replacement for Matt O’Riley.
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