NafisaMartin O’Neill has delivered a blunt message to his Celtic players after another damaging night at Celtic Park, insisting they must show far more urgency and take greater risks if they are to have any chance of avoiding another defeat to Rangers this weekend.
The Celtic manager watched his side suffer a second consecutive defeat on Thursday night as Ferencváros came from behind to secure a 3-1 Europa League victory.
After being comfortably beaten 3-0 by Rangers at Ibrox only four days earlier, Celtic desperately needed a response.
Instead, the same concerns resurfaced.
Celtic struggled to maintain attacking momentum, repeatedly slowing promising moves down and allowing Ferencváros to recover their defensive shape. O’Neill was visibly frustrated by the pattern and made it clear afterwards that he expects his players to be much more decisive.
The manager did not single out individual players by name, but his comments placed responsibility firmly on the Celtic players to change the way they approach attacking situations.
And with Rangers returning to Parkhead on Sunday, there is almost no time left to fix it.
O’Neill reveals what Celtic are doing wrong
Celtic made a positive start but failed to maintain their momentum after falling behind.
Bamidele Yusuf’s effort gave Ferencváros the lead before Mika Baur restored parity just before half-time. But Celtic immediately lost that momentum again when Kristoffer Zachariassen restored the visitors’ advantage in stoppage time.
Daniel Arzani then delivered another blow just two minutes after the restart, producing a superb finish to make it 3-1.
From there, Celtic were forced to chase the match.
For O’Neill, however, the problem was not simply that his players failed to create enough chances. He believes they are slowing themselves down when opportunities actually present themselves.
Speaking to TNT Sports, the Celtic boss said: “We go a certain distance with the ball, then we check and then we’re checking back.”
That habit allowed Ferencváros to repeatedly regroup.
Celtic would advance into promising areas, hesitate, and then recycle possession rather than committing themselves to an attack.
O’Neill wants that to change immediately.
“I think we need urgency,” he said.
“I genuinely think we could take a couple more risks, really.”
Those comments effectively put the spotlight on the players’ decision-making.
For Celtic to succeed against teams capable of defending in numbers, O’Neill believes they cannot continually give opponents time to recover their shape.
Celtic only woke up after the damage was done
The frustrating part for O’Neill was that Celtic eventually showed the attacking intent he had been demanding — but only after the game had already moved heavily in Ferencváros’ favour.
Kasper Høgh was introduced at half-time as O’Neill changed his approach, while Benjamin Nygren, Sebastian Tounekti and Luke McCowan were also sent on as Celtic searched for a way back.
There were opportunities.
Nygren came close with a curling attempt, while another promising opening arrived after Camilo Duran’s pressure forced Ferencváros goalkeeper Ádám Varga into a mistake.
But Celtic were now attempting to rescue a match they had allowed to drift away from them.
That is exactly what O’Neill wants eliminated.
The manager does not want his players waiting until they are two goals behind before taking risks.
He wants the aggression and urgency to be present from the moment Celtic find themselves in dangerous positions.
“But overall I just feel as if I think we can thrust forward a wee bit more quickly and take the risks,” he said.
Rangers now have another reason for confidence
The timing could hardly be worse for Celtic.
The Hoops have now lost to Rangers and Ferencváros in consecutive matches, conceding six goals across those two games.
More concerning for O’Neill is that the performances have produced similar questions about Celtic’s ability to respond when opponents apply pressure.
Rangers exposed Celtic’s lack of intensity during Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Ibrox, while Ferencváros punished them again after Celtic repeatedly surrendered possession and allowed the visitors to recover their shape.
The Rangers defeat had already prompted O’Neill to demand more heart, grit and determination from his squad. He now wants urgency added to that list.
And Sunday provides the most immediate test imaginable.
Celtic have one chance to change the story
Rangers return to Celtic Park just seven days after their emphatic victory in the cup.
O’Neill’s players therefore have an immediate opportunity to prove that the two defeats were setbacks rather than the beginning of a wider problem.
But the manager’s latest warning could not be clearer.
Celtic cannot afford to spend another match moving the ball forward only to turn around and allow the opposition to reset.
They cannot wait until they are behind before taking risks.
And they certainly cannot expect to overcome Rangers if the same lack of urgency that frustrated O’Neill against Ferencváros appears again.
O’Neill has identified what he wants from his team: thrust forward quicker, take more risks and attack with urgency.
Now it is up to the players to deliver it when Rangers walk through the doors at Celtic Park.
Nafisa
