A Wilder Ange Gasperini?

The potential upside and risks of a three-headed monster

When Ange Postecoglou was announced as Celtic’s new manager in 2021, I proceeded to try and get my analytical arms around how his team played in Japan, as well as coming up with a framework for assessing how good of a coach/manager he was.

Last week’s column, Nancy Bhoy Bringeth, explored an updated version of that framework and how it potentially applies to Wilfried Nancy.

As the season commenced and progressed, I came around to understanding that my initial assessments of Postecoglou were flawed in two key areas:

1. How he deployed his keepers in Japan, as a sweeper near the center of the pitch, was not going to fly with Joe Hart…which Ange seemed to recognize and adjust to quickly.

2. I badly underappreciated the competitive dynamics of “Angeball” at Celtic in Scotland relative how opponents would be able to cope.

These flawed assumptions drove analysis such as a stated preference during the summer 2021 transfer window to sign a keeper who could play as a sweeper over a shot stopper, as my primary concern was Celtic being able to reclaim the league title. By the arrival of the winter transfer window, I had recognized those analytical flaws and updated my views - i.e. Angeball was likely to be a domestic juggernaut, Celtic was likely to to claw back the 2021-2022 league, and Celtic should focus on a keeper with better shot stopping that could help push forward in Europe.

I revisit those issues because they offer some context as to what we may be able to expect if/when a Nancy transition commences. With that prior experience, I feel better equipped to analyze what may lay ahead.

Recency bias is only natural, so fears that hearing Nancy deploys a “possession-based style” has many metaphorically jumping off tall building out of fear of the dreaded Horseshoe of Death persisting at Celtic are to be expected.

However, what I see with Nancy when looking at how his Columbus Crew team played is conceptually a fusion of Angeball and how Atalanta played under Gian Piero Gasperini…with a dash of Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United during his first tenure.