There is a lot for the manager to think about while the players are away
The international break has come at a good time for Celtic after a terrible week that consisted of three consecutive losses. Something that can’t have happened too often in the club’s history. Despite a three week break form domestic football, the actual time Martin O’Neill has with his players will end up being around three or four days in total. That’s four days to get his new messages across to the players that are away on international duty before Celtic play Motherwell at Fir Park. By the time they take to the field against The Steelmenthere’s a good chance the club will no longer be top of the league, with Rangers playing at home to Kilmarnock the day before. That’s when the pressure will really begin to build on O’Neill and the management team if they see a five point lead evaporate leaving the club in second place. The manager must find a way to turn the tide and quickly. Does he continue to play around with different formations? Does he change personnel?
Here are three key things I believe the manager must change quickly if he’s to gain momentum back in his favour this season.
1. Fix the issues in the middle of the park.
It’s hard to see Celtic winning many big games this season until they fix the issues with the midfield. The amount of shots that teams are getting from distance is alarming and needs addressed asap. The dynamics of McGregor and Nygren together in a three doesn’t offer enough protection against the better sides. McGregor is obviously getting older and Nygren seems unwilling to put a defensive shift in. You need all three pulling their weight in a midfield three. He tried McCowan against Rangers but that isn’t the answer either. I could see Oxlade-Chamberlain getting more of a chance in the next few weeks as the manager looks to shore up the base of that midfield. He needs to change something and try his best to get through to the January window before recruiting the defensive centre mid we should of signed this summer. There’s no excuses with this. Identify the target and have him walk through the door January 1st.
2. Pick a keeper and stick with them
It’s hindsight but the decision to swap goalkeepers before the game at Ibrox has added to the problems this season. The flip flopping of no1’s between the sticks over the last few games has resulted in two nervy and unsure keepers in the squad. If Martin believes Sam Johnstone is the no1 then he has to go with him for a stretch of games and let him settle. If he’s unsure then he must stick with Sinisalofor a period and hope things settle down at the back. Managers live and die by their decisions and this is one he has to get right.
3. Find a way to make our strikers more of a goal threat.
Another contributing factor to our poor form is the lack of goal threat we have up top. The strikers and wingers don’t look like scoring the types of numbers previously seen during a successful season at Celtic. That has to change. If you look back to Postecoglou’s time we had Jota and Abada providing goals and assists. The wingers right now offer very little in terms of an attacking threat. If the wingers provide no chances for the strikers and don’t score themselves then you have a problem. Duran may have started well but I’m not sure he’s the superstar the manager claimed he was early on. We need to find a way to maximise his threat in behind. Same goes for record signing Kasper Høgh who has been very disappointing so far. It looks like the club signed two Champions League level players with no plan on how to get them into a functioning system at Celtic. Signing £11 Million record players who don’t fit the way you want to work is madness. Celtic need to look at how Kasper thrived at Bodo and adapt their system to create chances for the Danish forward or move him out of the team. So far he looks like a fish out of water who is unable to play the way Martin O’Neill is setting up. The management team have to self analyse and come up with something to get him more goal scoring chances in the next few games or risk damaging their asset.
Celtic look incredibly disjointed and it seems like things are only heading in one direction under the current management structure. There are several key problems the manager and coaching stuff must fix and quickly if they are to turn things around. One thing is for sure, more of the same will not result in better performances or results. What they are doing just isn’t working and something needs to change. Time for bold, forwarding thinking leadership and management.
Tim Lisbon
