Celtic Must Respond After Ibrox Defeat
Martin O’Neill has told his Celtic players to let the sting of Ibrox drive them through a pivotal week in their season.
Beaten 3-0 by Rangers on Sunday, bruised in the scoreline and in confidence, Celtic now face a rapid test of character: European competition on Thursday, then another Glasgow derby at Celtic Park on Sunday. There is no time to sulk. O’Neill doesn’t want them to anyway.
“You have to hurt a bit. You have to hurt a lot, I think,” he said on Celtic Player, laying out his demands in typically blunt fashion.
“That’s the way that I spent my career. I probably overindulged in the hurting aspect of the game, but the games have to hurt you both as a player and as a manager.
“After that, then you go and rise above it again. That defines you as much as anything else.”
Hurt, then respond
Sunday’s defeat at Ibrox was more than just a bad day. It was a jolt. For O’Neill, that jolt should become fuel.
He wants his squad to study the loss, feel it, and then use it.
“We’ve had the setback on Sunday, something that you have to, first of all, look at it,” he said. The message is clear: no excuses, no hiding. Analyse it, own it, and then react.
That reaction has to come quickly. The European tie on Thursday offers a chance to reset the mood before Rangers arrive in the east end of Glasgow.
“It’d be nice to get off to a decent start,” O’Neill admitted. “It won’t be easy. Nothing is, I don’t think. Nor should it be, really.
“At the end of the day, it’s a European game. Hopefully, we can be up for the game and be ready for the game and then after that, you can concentrate then on Sunday.”
Two games, four days, one bruised dressing room. The response this week will say plenty about where this Celtic side is headed.
Space to think at Lennoxtown
Once that double-header is done, the calendar briefly eases. The international break arrives, and with it a different kind of work.
O’Neill sees that period as vital for those who remain at Lennoxtown, the players not heading off with their countries.
“A big game coming up on Thursday, a big, big game on Sunday, then an international break, and it gives you a chance for the non-international players to take stock of what’s happened and say, well, listen, what can I do?
“What can I do better? What can I do now to help the team? What can I do to help myself? Obviously, if you can do those things, then you’re going to help the club.”
It is a challenge laid down as much to the squad’s depth as to its stars. Reflection, then improvement. No passengers.
A word for Danny McGrain
Before delving into tactics and mentality, O’Neill paused to pay tribute to a Celtic great facing a far tougher battle than any derby defeat.
News of Danny McGrain’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis has shaken the club. O’Neill, who worked with McGrain during his first spell in charge, spoke with real warmth about the legendary full-back.
“Danny was here at Celtic working with the reserves when I came here in my first spell, but just a phenomenal footballer and a really great character,” he said.
The current Celtic boss did not hold back in his admiration.
“He was just a brilliant player, a great defender, and certainly going forward, he could cause havoc.”
Those who watched McGrain dominate the right flank know exactly what O’Neill means. In a week dominated by the fallout from Ibrox and the pressure of what comes next, his words were a reminder of the standards and spirit that define the club at its best.
Now, with Europe looming and Rangers back on the horizon, Celtic have to show they can hurt, learn and rise. The question is no longer how much Sunday stung. It’s how they answer it.
