Celtic are in a right mess, and it’s entirely of their own making. Martin O’Neill was put in charged as interim manager following Brendan Rodgers’ resignation, and after a month of searching, the Scottish giants landed on the appointment of Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy.
The Frenchman’s arrival has been an unmitigated disaster from the outset. A home defeat to league leaders Hearts, followed by a League Cup final loss to St Mirren, and, worst of all, a failure to beat a Rangers side that has somehow been even worse than Celtic.
He walked down the tunnel alone, eyes to the ground and shoulders slumped. Nancy signed a two-and-a-half year deal at Celtic, but just over a month into the job, his future is already uncertain.
If there were any Celtic fans that weren’t wanting him to leave before the Old Firm, their minds will be changing if they haven’t already. So, are there any positives to take from Nancy’s start, or is there simply no way back?
How bad were Celtic against Rangers?
For both sides, their season is defined by how they perform against each other. It’s one of the best and most heated rivalries in football, to lose 3-1 at home to Rangers, should be unthinkable, especially with how dominant Celtic have been over the past decade.
In reality, this is the third time in a year that Celtic have conceded three goals and lost to Rangers, with the first been in January 2025 and then again in March. The reason this hurts more, is simply timing, Celtic are not top of the league, their form has been poor under a manager that fans haven’t taken to, and the defeat to Rangers is rubbing salt in the wound.
Nancy can rightfully point to the underlying numbers of the game and say Celtic were hard done by. His side generated more xG (1.52), had more shots (21), nine of which were on target, and 65% possession.
Their issue was they weren’t as clinical as Rangers, missing four big chances over the 90 minutes. Celtic no longer have the cutting edge they have in years past, under Rodgers the goals were spread throughout the team, anyone could score at any moment. That hasn’t happened this season.
Are there any positives that can be taken from Nancy’s time at Celtic so far?
Nancy very clearly wants to play the attacking, expressive football that brought him such success at Columbus Crew. Celtic have needed to adapt to a back three system mid-season, which isn’t an easy thing to do, just ask Ruben Amorim.
The biggest issue is, Nancy’s system needs better defenders that Celtic currently have. Across his eight games in all competitions, they’ve conceded 18 goals and scored 11, four of which came against bottom side Livingston.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, out with a long-term Achilles injury is a huge miss. Having Auston Trusty, flanked by Kieran Tierney and Anthony Ralston, two defenders that are usually full backs, like Celtic did against Rangers won’t work.
Wins against Aberdeen and Livingston, sides that are admittedly not the best, show how good the football could be under Nancy, with a combined xG of 8.55, 49 shots, 17 of which were on target, and 13 big chances created across those two games. Those are absurd numbers.
So, with a couple more defensive additions alongside Julian Araujo, who just joined on loan from Bournemouth and will be playing as a wing-back, the system could work. It all depends on whether the board is willing to back a manager who’s days may already be numbered.
What did Nancy say after the Rangers defeat?
Speaking after the game, Nancy was calm, insisting that his side deserved more from the game, which looking at the underlying numbers, is correct. He told BBC Scotland: "It was disappointing because we deserved more today, but again we needed more goals.
"In the second half, we conceded three goals from throw-ins. It's difficult to accept, but it's reality. This is not about the players or the tactics, this is about moments.
"This is not about myself, this is about disappointing the fans because I know the meaning of this game. I can understand the disappointment, but I also saw what we're able to do.
"We are really close, there are many things that can turn around. If it was not the case, I would not talk like this. I really believe we can turn things around.
"We are together with the board."
This biggest issue is, if you have to keep telling people you have the boards backing, it’s usually followed by a swift sacking. A king doesn’t have to tell people he’s a king and all that.
Verdict
Celtic face Dundee United at Parkhead on Saturday (January 10). It’s a game they should be winning, but at this point, who knows. Anything other than a comfortable victory would spell disaster for Nancy. If that doesn’t happen, it’s impossible to see how he redeems himself in the eyes of the fans.