11 hours ago
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At the end of his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, a visiting journalist invited Martin O’Neill to give a simple answer to a simple question.
The inquisitor asked the Northern Irishman if he saw a Celtic victory as the only acceptable outcome of the Europa League opener with Ferencvaros. In cricket parlance, it was a straight delivery.
O’Neill’s answer prompted a double take from those assembled in the Jock Stein Suite. He didn’t necessarily see it that way, he insisted.
Listen, perhaps there was an element of the veteran trying to take some of the burden off his players after a tough few days. An old trick from the managerial playbook.
But he wasn’t pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes. Celtic had to win here and had to win well. How could it possibly be any other way?
To capitulate in Linz against LASK in the Champions League play-off was bad enough. To deliver such a spineless display in the Premier Sports Cup at Ibrox really sent alarm bells ringing.
Kieran Tierney and captain Callum McGregor react at full-time after another Celtic horror show
Questions pertaining to the side’s make-up had come from all quarters since they folded like a cheap suit on Sunday.
O’Neill asked plenty of his own in the same media conference, mostly about the character of his players.
If he thought his pointed words would prompt a response from a group of which were hurting after failing to turn up in the derby, though, he was sorely mistaken.
This was another desperate affair for the Northern Irishman and his beleaguered side. Second best against a Ferencvaros side presently sitting fifth in their own league, there was little evidence of improvement from the diabolical display they turned in against Rangers.
On Sunday, skipper Callum McGregor opined that Celtic looked like a team of individuals. Nothing, it seems, changed in the four intervening days.
Not only does this Celtic side lack quality and creativity, it has no heart or grit. At the first sign of trouble, the players go weak at the knees.
A promising start to the season feels like it happened an age ago. If the club hasn’t yet reached crisis point, then it’s now well within sight. Right now, the visit of Rangers in the league on Sunday holds limited appeal.
One-time Celtic winger Daniel Arzani scored a brilliant third for the visitors to silence Parkhead
The team is a mess and right now neither O’Neill or his backroom staff look like they know how to fix it. This season could all unravel very quickly.
Deservedly behind, Celtic levelled with a minute of the first period remaining through Mika Baur and still managed to go in behind at the break. From the minute the visitors struck again two minutes into the second half, the game was up.
O’Neill really had no option but to shake things up. Having been dropped for two games without doing a great deal wrong, Viljami Sinisalo returned in goal at Sam Johnstone’s expense.
Oliver Sorensen displaced Benjamin Nygren with Camilo Duran filling Kasper Hogh’s role as the striker. Haissem Hassan replaced Duran on the right with James Forrest in for Seb Tounekti.
The Hungarians’ left-winger would have been vaguely familiar to the home fans. There were high hopes for Daniel Arzani when he arrived at Celtic on a two-year loan from Manchester City in 2018 only for a crucial ligament injury to restrict him to two appearances.
The Australian certainly made a point of underscoring his credentials upon his return to Glasgow with a quite brilliant strike to complete the scoring.
Celtic actually started brightly. You might argue that anything had to be an improvement on their efforts at the weekend.
Arzani's curling strike gave the visitors a two-goal lead that Celtic were unable to recover from
With Kieran Tierney and Forrest seeking an immediate breakthrough, the home side forced three corners in the opening three minutes.
What does it say about Celtic’s recruitment over so many years that Forrest, now aged 35, is still one of the best players at the club?
After dropping the shoulder, the winger set up Duran with the Colombian volleying just wide. Forrest then went alone after leaving Oliver Nagy in his wake. He went for the glory when there were better options and Adam Varga beat away his shot. And with that, Celtic’s early surge fizzled out.
It all became very slow and predictable. If there was an easy option to take it, one of O’Neill’s players did exactly that.
Realising there was little to fear, Ferencvaros grew into the contest. Bamidele Yusuf had all the time he wanted to pick out Kristoffer Zachariassen. The skipper headed just over.
The warning shot wasn’t heeded. On the 20-minute mark, Yusuf again gathered on the right and was afforded time to do as he pleased. He fired the ball in the general direction of goal. Liam Scales’ outstretched leg did Sinisalo no favours and the Hungarians were ahead.
How would Celtic react to adversity? Predictably, by going into their shells and making bad decision after bad decision.
When Baur jumped to try and win a ball he should have left alone, Yusuf fed Arzani. The Australian got the better of Cameron Carter-Vickers but not Sinisalo.
Martin O'Neill now faces a lot of serious questions and a crucial home game against Rangers
The frustration among the home fans was growing. A smartly worked short corner allowed McGregor to try his luck only for a deflection to preserve Ferencvaros’ lead.
Duran’s speculative effort from 30 yards was typical of Celtic’s lack of imagination. Their equaliser on the stroke of half-time came out of the blue.
Forrest again justified his selection with a typically precise pass to find Tierney, who’d ghosted in behind. Baur smartly held his run, took the cut-back in his stride and swept the ball home with his left foot.
The clock said 44 minutes. For Celtic to fail to go up the tunnel level at half-time was grossly negligent.
It was another desperate defensive episode. Yusuf beat Tierney all too easily then popped the ball through McGregor’s legs. As he rolled the ball across goal, Celtic’s defenders just stared at each other. This time Zachariassen didn’t miss.
O’Neill withdrew Sorensen and threw on Hogh at the break as he went to a 4-4-2. Hopes that a change of shape would bring about a change of fortune lasted all of two minutes.
Another cheap turnover by Colby Donovan saw Yusuf emerge with the ball. He fired a superb pass across the pitch to Arzani. With Carter-Vickers backing off, the winger smashed the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box. Ferencvaros were threatening to run riot.
O’Neill threw on a raft of substitutes hoping that something or someone would change the flow of the game.
Nygren curled one effort wide and chipped another onto the roof of the net from 35 yards. Tounekti forced the keeper into a smart stop after some neat footwork. A consolation would have been more than Celtic deserved.
