IF ANGE Postecoglou’s philosophy took its grip quickly on this Celtic team, it is not the only notable area where the Greek-Australian has made his mark.

Having walked into the club after a chaotic campaign, Postecoglou got off to a wobbly start. Kicked out of the Champions League qualifiers at the first hurdle, the frustrations were compounded immediately with an opening night league defeat at Tynecastle. A support that was in permanent insurrectionist mode for much of the previous 12 months have been placated by a sequence of results that currently stands at 33 domestic games without defeat.

A successful team tends to remove all focus from boardrooms and backrooms. But if the 7-0 hammering of a hapless St Johnstone team on Saturday afternoon had the hallmarks of Postecoglou’s mantra all over it, it was equally difficult not to note the players who executed his philosophy.

Of the 16 who contributed to the win, 12 were Postecoglou signings. Only Callum McGregor, Greg Taylor, Tom Rogic and David Turnbull were not arrivals from this season.

That night in Denmark as Celtic’s season started with a Champions League exit seems like a world away and not only because of the personnel changes. 

Joe Hart has replaced the nervy Vasilis Barkas, whose Celtic career seemed to be on life support from its earliest weeks, with the defence posting a league-best defensive record this term.

Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers take credit for that too while the resurgence this term of Taylor and Anthony Ralston, two players for whom the jury seemed to have decided on last summer, are worthy of recognition for the manner in which their seasons have played out.

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If the summer signings were impactful – Kyogo Furuhashi found himself holding talismanic status within 20 minutes of his first start – the January signings turned the season in Celtic’s favour. If there was an over-reliance on Furuhashi and Jota in the first half of the campaign for goals and creativity, there was a significantly greater balance after the January window.

Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Matt O’Riley have been seamless in terms of their arrival while Giorgos Giakoumakis grew into his role after an opening few months where injury and the form of Furuhashi had made life a bit more unsettled.

All of this points to an interesting summer window. Celtic, now vying for a domestic treble which would be their fifth reaped from the last six seasons, will be irked at any suggestion there has been a blemish on this campaign. If there is a criticism to be made, though, it is in the form of European results.

If the league title is secured this term then there is the tantalising prospect of Champions League football next season.

The club have not participated in the group stages of Europe’s premier tournament since 2017, when there was a sobering reminder of the chasm that exists between domestic and continental success. Paris Saint-Germain dished out 5-0 and 7-1 lessons while Anderlecht and Bayern Munich were similarly ruthless in their dismissal of Brendan Rodgers’s side.

Postecoglou will remain committed to his attacking philosophy with his resistance to any fundamental form of pragmatic approach evident. As such, identifying players this summer who he trusts to carry out his wishes will be an intriguing exercise.

Permanent deals for Jota and Carter-Vickers are high on the wishlist of supporters but if they fail to come to fruition – and the ball is all in the players’ courts on that front – then there are replacements to be sourced given the considerable influence both have had on this season.

Where else the Greek-Australian decides to strengthen will be interesting to watch. What is certain, though, is that he has earned the trust to spend.