Filipe Jota lauds Celtic teammate Liel Abada for what the winger has produced in his debut season at Parkhead thanks to Ange Postecoglou’s philosophy, while speaking to CelticTV.
Postecoglou can guide the Hoops to the top of the table on Wednesday with victory in the Old Firm derby. The Parkhead natives currently sit second in the Premiership table after 23 games. But the Bhoys only trail Rangers by two-points ahead of their midweek meeting.
Abada has featured in 22 of the Hoops’ league fixtures so far following his £3.5m transfer from Maccabi Petah Tikva. Postecoglou only rested the 20-year-old at home to Hearts in December. He has also started the Israel forward 18 times for seven goals and four assists.
Jota has shared the pitch with Abada on 11 occasions to date and they have combined for two Celtic goals. Both occasions came against Dundee United, with the latter turning home the former’s cross in September’s draw. And history repeated itself in last week’s 1-0 win.
Jota gushes over Celtic teammate Abada and Postecoglou’s philosophy
Jota believes Abada has made such an impact since his summer transfer as Postecoglou’s philosophy allows the Celtic players to focus on thriving in the areas that they know best.
“Liel has had an amazing season so far,” Jota said. “He’s been brilliant – scoring, assisting, helping the team – and I think the team knows what he is good at.
“We try to find the best solutions, not just for Liel but for the whole team. I think that’s part of our philosophy: being smart and intelligent, knowing ‘this guy is really good at this, so let’s provide this’.”
Jota has also impressed under Postecoglou following a summer loan transfer from Benfica. The 22-year-old has scored eight goals and provided eight assists in 22 games across all competitions. His efforts include five goals and six assists in 14 Premiership appearances.
The Portuguese offered his last assist in the Bhoys’ previous league game against Dundee United. Jota’s previous assist came back on November 7 before missing five league games.
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