ANGE Postecoglou tonight hailed Kyogo Furuhashi after the Celtic striker’s double in a seismic 3-2 win over Rangers – and then joked he should play down the importance of the Japanese internationalist to his side to put off any clubs who might want to sign him.
Furuhashi took his tally for the 2022/23 season to 28 with two goals in a thrilling triumph that sent the defending champions 12 points clear of their nearest challengers in the cinch Premiership table with seven games remaining.
The 28-year-old has been superb for the Glasgow giants since moving to Scotland in a £4.6m transfer from Vissel Kobe in his homeland back in the summer of 2021 – and Postecoglou is keen to keep his leading scorer for as long as possible.
READ MORE: Celtic 3 Rangers 2: Instant reaction to the burning issues
“I’ve said it a few times,” he said. “From the moment this guy arrived he’s been outstanding. I don’t remember him not giving everything. In every game he plays, he’s a threat. If he doesn’t score a goal, he works so hard for the team. He delivers in the big games.
“There’s not much of him out there and he’s up against big strong defenders who get very physical with him at times because of his nature and the way he is. But make no mistake, he’s a winner. I’ve seen it first hand.
“He wants that responsibility to rise to the occasion. He wants to be the person who delivers and he did it again today.”
Postecoglou added: “He was the first one I wanted here. He didn’t arrive first, but he was the first I wanted to make sure we brought. Because I’d experienced him first hand in Japan as an opponent, which I didn’t enjoy.
“But I knew what he had to bring, not just as a player but as a person. He’s outstanding. The positive thing is that people don’t pump him up too much. If they do, other people might notice. So he’s struggling at times! Seriously, though, he’s alright.”
Rangers levelled just before half-time when James Tavernier netted a long-range free-kick – and the Ibrox captain made it 3-2 in the second-half when he headed home a Borna Barisic cross.
Postecoglou was pleased with the heart that his players showed and admitted the backing which they received from 59,621-strong crowd – Celtic supporters occupied every seat in the stadium after away fans were banned – had been crucial to the final outcome.
READ MORE: Celtic vs Rangers ref watch as Kevin Clancy and VAR analysed
“It’s obviously very pleasing,” he said. “It was a typical derby with a bit of everything. Credit to both sets of players, they gave their all.
“We controlled it in different areas and always looked a threat going forward when we played through the lines. They were a threat, mainly on set-pieces. That gave an edge to the game
“But this group of players just find a way all the time. It’s unbelievable, the character and self-belief they have in each other to continually get the job done.
“The reality is that it’s difficult for them to do what I want in the midst of the chaos in the game. You’re watching them and thinking: ‘We could be a bit calmer’. But that’s easy to say from the outside.
“You know the consequence of the game, you know it’s a derby and what it does to the league. All these factors affect players. But they continually stay focused in that they won’t be taken away from reaching the goal they want.
“It’s definitely a significant victory for us. In the context of the league, we’re 12 points in front with seven games to go. But aside from that, this group of players has had an outstanding season so far.
“And to continually find a way to win a game of football, to score goals and deliver again - that’s the key part for me. Everything else, you can analyse. But that spirit they have is undeniable.”
Postecoglou added: “The support was outstanding today, unbelievable. What an atmosphere! Again, you feel privileged to be part of that. I am sure the players really got energised by it. The fans were just willing the team on.
“We had a couple of nervy minutes, but you could still see the fans were picking them up. I said to them afterwards that if you can make one person’s life a little bit better, the amount of joy that brings you is outstanding.
“I said to them they have made countless thousands of lives so much better for the next few days. There is no greater feeling for anyone, particularly the players. I want them to enjoy that because they have earned that.”
Celtic right back Alistair Johnston picked up the Man of the Match award after an inspired performance and Postecoglou singled out the Canadian internationalist, who he brought in from Montreal in December, for special praise.
READ MORE: Michael Beale rues Rangers' errors as VAR calls come under fire
“Alistair loves a battle, doesn’t he?” he said. “I think he’d have a fight by himself!
“When you bring guys in, you look at what he can bring from a playing perspective. But having been here 20 months, you also know that it takes a special kind of personality to play for this club. The expectations are there every week and you have to perform and be at your best.
“You have to overcome every opponent and Alistair exemplifies all of that.He’s a good footballer and physically he’s outstanding. But he also has that character and winning drive.
“He’s only been here for four months, but he has played in three of these games. In every one, he’s stood up really well. It is great for this football club because particularly here, the more of those types you have, the more likely you have success.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel