Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou sent a strong message to his players in his post-match press conference after the Hoops’ 5-1 victory over St Mirren on Sunday. 

Despite trailing 1-0 at halftime courtesy of a Mark O’Hara penalty, goals from Jota, Alistair Johnston, Liel Abada, Matt O’Riley and Oh Hyeon-gyu helped to keep Celtic nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. 

Celtic latest news – Postecoglou talks about his team selection

Despite starting just 16 of the last 39 matches Celtic have competed in, Postecoglou refused to applaud Liel Abada for not kicking up a fuss over his lack of minutes following his impact off the bench at the SMISA Stadium. 

Speaking to the media with quotes provided by The Scotsman, Postecoglou stated: “What do you reckon would happen to players who throw their toys out of the pram, mate? He’s a really ambitious guy who wants to be at a big football club. He wants to win things and be the best he can be. That’s exactly where he is at.”

The 21-year-old has been in fine form once again this season, registering 12 goals and seven assists across 38 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt. 

Has Postecoglou adopted the right strategy with Abada and others? 

Absolutely, Postecoglou has always been open surrounding the fact that he will rotate his squad heavily, especially given the heavy fixture congestion Celtic are usually subjected to when competing across various fronts. 

Furthermore, a lot of people forget that Abada is still only 21 and still has a lot of room for growth, which is frightening, really, considering his consistency in performances since joining at the beginning of Postecoglou’s tenure. 

To win anything in this day and age, you need to rotate players to some degree to maintain success. Celtic have utilised their bench this campaign to great effect and will hopefully continue to do so when necessary moving forward. 

Abada will feel he deserves to start more often and on the evidence shown, there is an argument for that to happen. Nevertheless, he is an exciting talent that is only at the beginning of what could be a very distinguished career and is adored by the Celtic support for good reason.