Everything Ange Postecoglou had to say during his pre-match press conference ahead of Celtic taking on Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.

How important is it to go into the break on a high?

Yeah, it is important. The fact the break is coming up is not the key bit. The key bit is the fact that we have come through a busy period. This will be game number 13 in the last 40 days, including travel for the Champions League. The fact the boys have been so resilient through this time with our league form is a credit to them. We want to finish strong.

How do you handle players missing out on the World Cup as a club manager?

Obviously, for the ones that miss out, there is the motivation to make sure they put out a more compelling case going forward. I think with all these things, it is important you keep a perspective of where you are at and what you want to achieve. I have not felt the need to speak to any of the guys individually. We are obviously happy for all the players that were selected, as it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We will benefit from that as much as they will. 

How pleased are you for Cameron Carter-Vickers getting called up to the USA squad for the World Cup?

It is brilliant and a credit to him. The whole club is proud of him. When we brought him in last year, he had a couple of appearances with the national team, and up to that point, he had played mainly English Championship football. I think he saw an opportunity to move up here as a chance to play football, and from day one, he has embraced everything. His performances speak for themselves, and he has now taken on a leadership role as well. He has now found his place at this football club. We had the option to take him on loan and were obviously going to do that. He wanted to become a permanent member of this football club. I am looking forward to his performances at the World Cup.

Injury update?

It is just Callum McGregor that is out. No fresh injury updates outside of that.

How would you review your first section of the season?

It has been good. Our results and performances have been outstanding domestically. It is a credit to the players, but we need to finish our work and keep going. What we do know is when we are coming off this period, hopefully with a strong performance, then when football resumes, it will still be fairly busy but nowhere near as challenging as it has been in this first part of the season. We are set up for a strong second half of the season.

Do you think the break is coming at the wrong time for you, given how good your domestic form has been?

The break is the break. It is not new. We have known about it, and it is not something that has sprung up. It has been part of our planning. Our pre-season was planned around the fact we are going to have really big fixture congestion. Our recruitment is the same in terms of having a strong squad. What is important for us is the fact that we have got to this point in a strong position. We are going to Australia for a week, the boys will have some time off, and then we will be away to Portugal.

Celtic Way:

What do you make of the SFA's statement about Jota's offside goal?

For me, it is not about the decisions. Even with VAR, there are going to be decisions that are still contentious. It is about the process. That is why I was concerned about the fanfare when it was introduced. It was the talk of the town. We had it in Australia, which everyone thinks is a footballing backwater, four years ago. It is not a new thing and has been along for a while. Officials in our league that referee in Europe have used it. We make it out that it is this big thing when really it should have been a case of we have it now, and let's get on with it. However, there has been this big fanfare around it, and now we have been told to expect teething problems. I do not understand why there would be teething problems with something that has been around for four years. If it is not ready, then do not start with it. Wait until everyone is comfortable with it. For me, it is not about the decisions. They are saying Jota is offside, they will have evidence of that. That evidence is with them. Even if they are wrong, I do not care. It is a decision, and there are plenty of wrong decisions. For me, it is the intrusion it has on the game that I have an issue with.

Is part of the issue when it was brought in, and is it now destroying some of the excitement of games?

It does not matter when it is brought in. The powers that be will have brought it in because they think it is ready. Look, human beings are involved. When you find out a camera was not pointing in the right direction, I am kind of hoping this was looked at it through the protocols. You have got to allow for human error within that context. With VAR, we understand it is part of the game but do not make it the star of the show. Unfortunately, at the moment, that is what it is. I don't think that helps anyone, whether that be the referees, the clubs, or the players, to have VAR as the topic of weekly discussion.

Who do you think will win the World Cup?

I will go for Brazil. However, if there is ever going to be a year that there is a shock winner, it will be this one. It is such a weird time for a World Cup, and I think a surprise team could appear. Who that will be, I do not know. 

Sead Haksabanovic has been called up to the Montenegro squad, do you then need to have a conversation after the Scotland situation?

There is no situation at all. Everyone that is not going to the World Cup is coming to Sydney with us. It is not an issue. I know everyone is trying to make it an issue. It is not a designated international window and that is because FIFA has allowed clubs to make their own decisions. We have made our own decisions as a club, and I do not need to discuss that with everyone 

How difficult will the game be against Ross County?

The last two results have been positive ones. It is always a difficult game against Ross County. Every game has its challenges, and what we have tried to do is make sure our level of performance at the stage we can overcome a challenge on any given day. We will have to do that tomorrow. Wednesday night was not our best performance, but the lads still managed to win the game. We need to play better, and that is our focus for tomorrow. We want to play our football and maintain our intensity as much as we can. If we do that, then we know we are tough to stop and will get the result we want.

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