Haksabanovic's Celtic return and no transfer panic - Postecoglou Q+A

Have you had an update on Giorgos Giakoumakis's situation?

It's pretty much the same. Michael (Nicholson) is dealing with all that stuff. As we sit right here, no one is leaving, no one is coming. There is always going to be speculation around the place from my perspective at this moment there is nothing definite that's happening.

You have brought in three players in this window and you have said that you are active in the market is there a need then to streamline the squad potentially in areas where there are a few players?

There is no great urgency. What I want is to be in a position whereby bringing in those three players early that we are in a situation where we are not really sort of on tenterhooks through January. If we do happen to lose players we are not scrambling about trying to replace them. We've got a really strong squad which I am happy with. We can make our decisions about incomings or exits without the need for any urgency or panic on our behalf. Our planning has always been that we try and get our business done early. We are still active as I still think there is probably space for one more. If nobody exits through this window then that is fine as we've got a big squad. We have already seen with our schedule that they can all contribute but if people do exit then we are in the position where we have already covered those absences.

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You play St Mirren on Wednesday night, they are the only team to beat Celtic this season. Are you expecting the players to be up for this one even more in regards to revenge because they did beat you earlier this season?

I'd be really disappointed if they were more motivated against St Mirren than they were in the last game or the one after that. That is not my expectation of any team I have managed. Your motivation should be every time you play to try and be at your best and try and beat whatever opponent is in front of you. If you need revenge as a motivator then go and lose every second game and you'll be great. That's not how it works particularly here as we are very motivated because we are representing this football club and we are in a strong position in the league and we want consistency in performance and results. That's our motivation. That's our motivation every week so it doesn't need anything extra to get these guys up and running.

It will be three months this weekend since VAR was introduced to the Scottish Premiership, overall what are your thoughts on it? Has it helped improve the game?

You must have missed my last four press conferences. My view hasn't really changed. I've already made people aware of my concerns early on and I haven't really addressed them too much since. I think it's all on the record and we move on.

Is it a positive having a strong squad wanting to play every game but if there was any unrest at a lack of game time how would you deal with that?

It is not something I put too much thought or emphasis on. There's been only a handful of players who have not had an opportunity this year. For the most part, they all play. They all contribute. I've said in the past you can have guaranteed game time but you won't play for this club or any big club. Guaranteed playing time you can get it a club that is not as strong or competing for trophies. That's not what these players want. They want to be the best and they want to win every competition. To do that they need to understand that you have to have a strong squad and they need to compete for places and that's what they're doing. If at any point a player is not happy with that or wants more game time then there is only one way to do that and it is to train hard and when you get your opportunity to do well then you present yourself in the best possible light or you can look for other opportunities elsewhere. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about whether a guy is happy with what sort of contribution he is making. I am actually looking at the contribution they are making. That's more important to me.

You have St Mirren next will that be a trickier match than in the past given the way they are playing this season?

I think for us it is about making sure we continue that we are really strong in the conviction of our football. The way we start games is important, particularly at home. We need to make sure we are working really hard both with and without the ball. When we do that as has been proven we are difficult to stop. Every game has its opportunity to be tricky. The weekend game was tricky. The game before that was tricky. It is how you overcome those challenges and we've been good for the most part at doing that.

Is there any update to the squad from Saturday and do you expect to make any changes to the team that started against Kilmarnock?

Yes. It's fair to say the game itself and the conditions took a fair bit out of the boys. I haven't made final decisions yet but there will be some changes tomorrow I think. Both because it took a fair bit out of the lads at the weekend and also we need to freshen up the team I feel. We will make a few changes. The pleasing thing for me is the guys who have been out recently Sead Haksabanovic, Tony Ralston, Stephen Welsh, and James McCarthy are all training and available. From my perspective, we have got some options there now. Alistair Johnston is good now after missing the weekend game or not starting anyway. I think it's fair to say we will make some changes tomorrow on the back of the weekend game and also because I just feel it is a good one to freshen up the team a bit.

How much has the World Cup experience helped the players that were in Qatar?

I think we have definitely benefitted from it as you just need to look at the guys like Aaron (Mooy), Daizen (Maeda), Josip (Juranovic), and Cameron (Carter-Vickers), I think if you look at their form and how they've come back they've looked really strong - all of those guys. It is a funny one with the World Cup as you want them to have a positive experience because it is a World Cup but if they don't play or maybe struggle through it you kind of ask if they will be in the right frame of mind? They all made strong contributions to their country and I think that helped them come back with even more belief. That has translated into their form with us because their form has been excellent and the five have been really strong contributors since the World Cup.

How do you feel Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate have settled in over the last year?

Really well. I already knew Daizen but was also very confident about Reo as well as I had experience playing against him when I was in charge of Yokohama F Marinos. The beauty about both those guys is that they are both strong-willed and strongminded about their football and they continually look to improve and take on any challenge. Whether it is the football or the culture they are tackling everything head on. I think the best is yet to come.

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How happy are you that Matthew Anderson has signed a contract extension?

Really happy. He is another one who, over the next six to 12 months, will be hoping to make an impact at first-team level. I really do believe that. i think the work Stephen Mcmanus and Darren O'Dea are doing is outstanding. I am in constant dialogue with the guys about how things are going and I am seeing it with my own eyes that there is improvement there. It is great that Matthew has committed himself to the club. It is about us providing him with the opportunity and him grasping the opportunity.