Greg Taylor is delighted with the way that Ange Postecoglou’s January signings have fitted into the Celtic side.
Win 22 wins from 24 SPFL Premiership matches it isn’t easy to break into a winning machine but over the course of a month Alistair Johnston has done just that at right-back.
Yuki Kobayashi has contributed to two clean sheets playing in central defence while Oh Hyeon-gyu and Tomoki Iwata have been acclimatising through appearances off the bench.
Buying players is relatively easy as Neil Lennon demonstrated by snapping up Albian Ajeti and Patryk Klimala to lead the Celtic attack but Postecoglou has used a matching technique to ensure that Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis contribute on the park rather than just the wage bill.
In two brief appearances Oh looks to have a strong understanding of his role coming off the bench with Taylor explaining to the Daily Record how that is achieved:
The manager has a clear philosophy so it’s easier for the boys who come in because we’ve a set way of playing.
We know they’ll give 100 percent. The mentality of the new guys is outstanding and hopefully that’ll be the case with any other new guys who come through the door.
I’m sure they will have that too. They’ve settled well but we’ve lost boys who’ve done really well for us and it’s important to be grateful for their contribution.
With just one match a week through February Postecoglou’s squad will feel the benefits of extra time on the training ground.