NafisaCeltic’s latest defeat has sparked another uncomfortable debate around Martin O’Neill and his players, but two familiar voices have now offered a rather different explanation for what is going wrong at Parkhead.
The Hoops suffered another damaging result on Thursday night as Ferencvaros left Celtic Park with a 3-1 victory in the Europa League, leaving O’Neill’s side facing the prospect of three consecutive defeats in three major matches should they lose to Rangers again on Sunday.
After the 3-0 capitulation at Ibrox last weekend, the Celtic manager made four changes to his starting XI against the Hungarian champions in an attempt to freshen things up and produce an immediate response.
Instead, the performance raised many of the same concerns.
Celtic struggled to manage key moments, surrendered possession cheaply and were punished when Ferencvaros found opportunities to attack. O’Neill has already acknowledged that his team needs to improve its urgency and take more risks, but former Celtic captain Neil Lennon believes the responsibility cannot simply be placed on the manager.
For Lennon, the players themselves have to answer some serious questions.
Neil Lennon points the finger at Celtic players
Lennon was speaking on TNT Sports during the defeat when the discussion turned towards Celtic’s repeated inability to control matches.
Rather than putting the blame entirely on O’Neill, the former Celtic boss pointed towards the experience within the squad and questioned the decision-making of the players on the pitch.
“Oh come on,” said Lennon on TNT Sports commentary. “It’s the players. There’s loads of experience out there.
“I think the game management of this team has to be called into question, whether it be LASK away or Rangers away and even tonight at times.
“Whether it be decision making, not taking enough responsibility on and off the ball.
“Of course the manager always gets questions asked but he made four changes tonight to freshen it up and its still the same response.”
That final point could prove particularly significant.
O’Neill did not simply send the same team back out after what happened at Ibrox. Four changes were made, giving other members of the squad an opportunity to change the mood and performance.
Yet the outcome was remarkably similar.
The problems that appeared against Rangers surfaced again against Ferencvaros, leaving Lennon questioning whether the underlying issue is actually being addressed by changing personnel.
Celtic have now suffered heavy defeats to Rangers and Ferencvaros within the space of five days, while their Champions League qualification hopes had already collapsed following the dramatic defeat to LASK in Austria.
Lennon’s reference to LASK therefore adds another layer to his criticism. From his perspective, the concerns are not restricted to one bad night or one particular selection.
They are appearing repeatedly in the biggest moments.
Stiliyan Petrov delivers verdict on Martin O’Neill’s style
The discussion then moved towards another obvious question.
If Celtic are struggling to control games and the football is becoming increasingly frustrating to watch, is the style actually coming from O’Neill himself?
Stiliyan Petrov, another former Celtic player who worked under O’Neill, was asked whether the current approach could instead be influenced by assistants Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham.
Petrov’s response was emphatic.
“Well somebody’s doing it,” said Petrov. “It’s not his style.
‘When you lose games, you’re always going to be under pressure. We played under Martin and we’ve seen him in a different light.
“It’s the personnel you have. This is what you have to do.
“It’s too slow at the moment.
“This club has been through difficult times and will go through difficult times. How quick can they come out of it?
“But if you ask me honestly if that’s the style that Martin O’Neill played? Definitely not.”
It is a fascinating assessment from someone who knows O’Neill’s football from inside the dressing room.
Petrov was not suggesting that everything is currently working at Celtic, nor did he absolve the team of its problems. Instead, his argument was that the football being produced now does not resemble the style he remembers from O’Neill’s previous Celtic side.
That places even greater attention on the players.
If the manager’s preferred approach is not being reflected on the pitch, then the question becomes whether O’Neill’s squad has the personnel capable of executing what he wants — or whether the players are simply failing to take responsibility during matches.
And that is where Lennon’s comments become particularly relevant.
Celtic now face another Rangers test
The timing could hardly be more uncomfortable.
Celtic’s next game is another meeting with Rangers, just seven days after being comprehensively beaten 3-0 at Ibrox.
O’Neill has already spoken about the need for a response, while the players know that another poor performance would leave the manager and squad facing even greater scrutiny.
The biggest concern is that Celtic now have very little time to solve the problems highlighted by both Lennon and Petrov.
Game management cannot suddenly become perfect overnight. Decision-making cannot simply be switched back on. And if the team’s style really is being undermined by the personnel available, there is little opportunity to rebuild the squad before Sunday.
Yet Lennon has made his position clear: the players have to take responsibility.
Petrov, meanwhile, has offered O’Neill a degree of separation from the style that has frustrated supporters, insisting that the football being played is “Definitely not” the way his former manager’s teams operated.
That leaves Celtic with a rather uncomfortable question ahead of the next Old Firm.
If the manager has changed the personnel but the same problems keep appearing, and if the players are failing to manage matches properly, then somebody inside the Celtic dressing room has to find the answer — and quickly.
Because after defeats to LASK, Rangers and now Ferencvaros, another setback on Sunday would make it increasingly difficult for anyone at Parkhead to dismiss the concerns as simply one-off bad nights.
Nafisa
