Davie Provan reckons Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou must change tactics against bigger teams ahead of Bayer Leverkusen test

The Sky Sports pundit remains unconvinced by the Hoops defensively but admits he has seen signs of progress
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Davie Provan reckons Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is getting an “easy ride” from supporters and needs to change his tactical approach another bigger clubs.

The Australian will lead his side into battle against Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League this evening, knowing a victory would edge the Parkhead outfit a step closer to a place in the last 32.

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The Bundesliga outfit cruised to a 4-0 victory during the previous meeting between the sides in September but Postecoglou is unlikely to revert from his attack-minded approach in the BayArena.

The rebuilding job Postecoglou faced on his arrival in Glasgow saw him become an instant hit with the Hoops faithful, bringing in like of strike trio Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota and Liel Abada who have all proved to be success stories.

However, former Celtic winger and Sky Sports pundit Provan remains unconvinced by Postecoglou’s side defensively and feels they should be taking a more cautious approach to facing the Germans or risk suffering another heavy defeat.

He told the Go Radio Football Show: “I’ve no problem with Celtic from midfield forward, they’ll give the best of themselves, they’re very creative and have good pace, but if you open up against a better side - and Leverkusen are clearly a better side - then I think you deserve anything you get.

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“It just astonishes me that he’s already declared his hand and said we’re going to go there and have a go. I don’t get him at times.

“I know that he’s almost a cult figure among Celtic fans, Ange Postecoglou, because he was dealt such a poor hand of cards when he came in.

“I think compared to other managers he’s getting an easy ride. That could change very quickly. That’s the nature of things in this city.

“Yes, Celtic are on a good run domestically, but I’m still not convinced about them at the back.”

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Despite his reservations over the Hoops rear-guard, Provan believes the upcoming January transfer window could play a pivotal role in Celtic’s quest to close the gap and wrestle back the Scottish Premiership title from rivals Rangers.

He said: “What I would say is that from being in a position where they had no chance of winning this title, I think there’s a decent chance of them winning it now.

“Rangers are on the slide already, Rangers I don’t think have any headroom in the next transfer window and Celtic do.

“This window could get Celtic right back into the title race.”

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