Ange Postecoglou has urged Celtic to successfully cap a critical period in their bid for success at home and abroad.
The Aussie takes his team to Dundee on Sunday for the last game of a crucial spell which he knew was going to be key to their campaign.
With seven matches between the October and November international breaks, Postecoglou admits progress at home and abroad rested on delivering.
Celtic have won five out of six so far with back-to-back wins in Europe over Ferencvaros and, with the only top-flight points dropped coming seven days ago against Livingston, they have also narrowed the gap on Rangers at the top of the Premiership.
Postecoglou has now told the troops to do the business at Dens Park to finish the spell off in a positive manner.
He said: “We’ve had a good period. After last week, people forgot that. And it was a critical period for us because we had a tough time the period before with injuries and inconsistent results.
“If we were going to make an impact in Europe and at home, we were going to have to get a run of results and performances together.
“We’ve done that so far, but we have to finish it off away at Dundee and it’ll be difficult.
“That was the challenge for us. I’ve got to temper it by saying I knew this period would be better because we are just more settled, have more options and a bit more depth.
“We are still not where we want to be, but there is a bit more depth.
“It was a chaotic first eight weeks of the season for us, but I knew we could get some consistency through this period with just being settled and I think it has.
“If we can play our football as we have been and keep improving, then it will be a good period for us.”
While Postecoglou has mind fixed back on domestic business, he is hugely positive about the Europa League prospects and has urged his team to go for it when that battle resumes with an encounter against Bayer Leverkusen at the end of this month.
Celtic are just a point behind second-placed Real Betis in Group G and also face the Spaniards in the final game of the section.
Postecoglou has a Conference League play-off in the bag, but is not settling for that and said: “I want to get out of this group first. The win against Ferencvaros has given us a chance to progress and we are not going to discount that.
“That’s two away fixtures we have scored three goals each. We just lost control of the game in Betis, but we’ve grown in belief since then and we’re now in a position we can push for second spot.
“Why miss these opportunities. They don’t come around that often when you can create something special. “You can’t plan for it in two or three years time. The opportunity is here and now, so let’s go for it.”
Celtic may need to take something from the clash in Germany to have any chance of finishing in the top two and he insists they’ll have a go.
Postecoglou said: “Why not? We did in Betis. Leverkusen are a good side and won 4-0 the other night, so it is going to be an enormous task.
“But what a great way to find out. We’ll go there and go at them as we always have.”
