FK Jablonec couldn’t deal with Celtic’s movement and quality in possession during their 3-0 Europa League qualification defeat at a rousing Parkhead, midfielder Milos Kratochvil told the club’s official website.
Nobody should be getting carried away just yet but, after three wins in a row and with 13 goals scored along the way, the excitement is starting to build in the green half of Glasgow.
That opening-day defeat to Hearts certainly feels like a long time ago.
Ange Postecoglou arrived with a big reputation earlier in the summer, a coach famed on the other side of the globe for his exciting brand of attacking football and his Pep-esque penchant for player development.
In front of what was very nearly a full house at Parkhead on Thursday night, a dramatically improving Celtic turned on the style and put FK Jablonec to the sword, a brilliant David Turnbull brace preceding James Forrest’s late tap-in.
Jablonec are no mugs either.
They finished third in the Czech top-flight last season and it should not be forgotten that the side who finished just one point and five places above them – Sparta Prague – put eight goals past Neil Lennon’s Celtic in the Europa League last term.
But with Postecoglou pulling the strings these days, Celtic have a coach with a genuine gameplan, a tactical mind as sharp as a tungsten-tipped tack.
Is this the beginning of something special at Celtic?
“It was a very difficult match,” said Kratochvil at full-time, licking his wounds following a 7-2 aggregate defeat.
“They rotate very well in the middle (of the pitch), they play well out from the back and the goalkeeper (Joe Hart) helps them with that.
“It’s hard to stop, and then the defenders move into the central areas. We were prepared for it, of course, but then it’s something else on the field. You can’t even hear here. You can’t hear yourself.
“It was a difficult but beautiful match.”
Goalkeeper Jan Hanus, meanwhile, will not forget the famous Celtic Park atmosphere in a hurry, that spine-tingling chorus of You’ll Never Walk Alone still ringing in his ears.
“This was special, playing in such a beautiful stadium with such an atmosphere is just an experience. I’m so glad we could play here,” Hanus added.
“When I came to the stadium and saw the atmosphere, I thought it was great. I felt great about it, it was really an experience. I was really looking forward to it and it fulfilled my expectations.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
