“Teams should be able to have a number of systems to play,” Celtic boss
Martin O’Neill spoke to the mainstream media last night after the hugely disappointing Celtic performance in the 3-1 home defeat to Ferencvaros in the Europa League…
And the Celtic manager was back in front of the mainstream media today who were asking him questions about what the Celtic fans are think after back-to-back defeats against the Rangers and the Hungarian outfit last night.
Perhaps it would make more sense to allow Celtic fans through the fan media to ask the questions to represent the Celtic support directly?
Here’s everything the Celtic manager had to say in response to the mainstream media questions ahead of Celtic’s next match on Sunday, the Glasgow Derby against the Rangers at Celtic Park…
Q: Martin, after two pretty sore defeats this week, how are you feeling about the challenge of facing your rivals this Sunday?
Martin O’Neill: “We’re ready to go, we really are. We’re getting prepared for the game. It was a difficult game last Sunday and difficult last night, but we’re ready to go.”
Q: You said last Sunday that you hoped the game would be a wake-up call for some players. What do you hope the players have learned from that game that they’ll be able to take into Sunday?
Martin O’Neill: “For instance, just analysing last night’s game, we had all possession for 10 or 15 minutes, created a number of great chances, and had we taken one of those and got ourselves into the lead, then I think confidence would have been restored. Confidence, we’re far from rock-bottom. We’re still in the lead in the league. If we can win this, we can extend the lead. If we don’t, going into the international break, we’re still going to be in the front.”
Q: You mentioned confidence. It’s something we spoke about last night. We also spoke about bravery, fear, I guess the mental side of the game. When you came in for that second interim spell last season, those were all parts of Celtic that you managed to fix. Why do you think things have changed now?
Martin O’Neill: “You could do any press conference on a Friday for any manager who would maybe have lost a previous game, and they still talk about confidence and the restoration of it. That’s nothing new. When you lose a game, some players maybe don’t play up to their potential, and of course the first thing you think is maybe a little bit of confidence. But you can restore that with a victory.”
Q: I guess it’s somewhat related, but we spoke to Liam Scales last night, and he said he could sense some nerves inside the stadium last night. How important is it going to be on Sunday when there are 60,000 Celtic fans and no away fans?
Martin O’Neill: “I’ve experienced that before. I’ve been there before. There’s a bit of frustration where we played a number of passes, then we played it back, and of course that gets the crowd frustrated somewhat. It’s not to say that you just want to fling it long, but really we’ve got to be a bit more inventive. But the crowd will be up for this, and we’ll be ready to go.”
Q: Martin, do you feel that there’s been some talk it could be a defining game either way? You could extend your lead to quite a big margin in an international break, or it could become three defeats in a row ahead of an international break?
Martin O’Neill: “I think it’s too early in the season to do that. I genuinely do think that. It’s not the thing that you would look forward to going into an international break on three successive defeats, if that’s the case. We’re going to try and remedy that and try and put that right if we can.
“The last time that we had an international break was in March time, I think, and we played very poorly against Dundee United. So that was, if you can call it a wake-up call, or a moment of quiet reflection, or whatever the case may be. So we turned it around. The players are capable of turning it around.
“I think the point you were making before is that some of the new lads coming in, this is it. If you want to know what it’s about to play for the football club, and while some of them may have had pedigree elsewhere, this is something very, very special and very unique.”
Q: Do you sense that those new players have grasped that since last weekend?
Martin O’Neill: “I’m hoping so, I’m sure they will. It will probably take a little bit more time, but I think anybody who experienced last Sunday, to know what it’s all about, it shouldn’t need many more lessons.”
Q: What’s the squad looking like? Is everyone okay from last night?
Martin O’Neill: “The players are just a bit of a warm-down today, the lads who played most of the game, so we’ll see how they are. There’s one or two lads who came off, we’ll have a look to see how they are tomorrow.”
Q: “You talked a bit about formations yesterday. Are you going to have a chance to try something new on Sunday, on the training pitch over the next few days, or are you going to have to stick with what you know? Can the boys go into the game in a new formation they’ve not trained in?
Martin O’Neill: “My own belief is that, in general, teams should be able to have a number of systems to play, and I think the best way to do that is to practise those systems, of course. We might not have had the time to do that, and there’ll be a lot of players away. I think the best opportunity would have been maybe during the international break, but being mindful of the fact that a lot of players are off.
“So, systems. Eventually, systems don’t actually win the football games for you. That does not mean that you can’t formulate something. And I think that, as you say, even when we went 4-4-2 last night for the second half, they scored immediately, but nothing to do with us playing 4-4-2. But I thought we had a lot of possession. I mentioned we huffed and puffed a little bit, but we had a lot of possession in the second half without making a great deal of use to it.
“So, I think the idea is, and I think we’ve mentioned this before, is to try and get a system that you feel, one, that the players are comfortable in, that’s the most important thing. But also to be able to give you the best chance of getting your most potent players on the field.”
Q: So, do you think, as it stands, 4-4-2 could be the best way to get all those players on the park?
Martin O’Neill: “I’m genuinely not sure about that there. Players who can play in a number of positions for us, I’m sure would like to play in the position they would feel they’re best capable of doing. In the short term, if it is for the team benefit then that’s something we could look at.”
Q: What does the process look like if you’re devising a new plan? Do you go to Shaun and Fozzy and the guys and ask for something and they deliver it on the training pitch? Or does it go the other way? What does that sort of look like?
Martin O’Neill: “I think we’re kind of getting carried away with ourselves now. We’ll hold fire one that one.”
Q: Is it something you discuss with the players though, Martin? The senior players like Callum McGregor and maybe James Forrest? Do you get their opinions from what they’re feeling on the formations?
Martin O’Neill: “I said to Callum at half-time I want to go 4-4-2, he had no problem with that whatsoever. But yeah, I think, first of all, you try and find and devise a system that, as I said, the players are comfortable with. The system here for quite a number of years has been 4-3-3 and it’s been pretty successful. So, you don’t really want to interfere, I said this last season.
“But there are times when you have to adjust maybe to the opposition and also to maybe the way that you’re playing yourselves. So, again, I think it’s something that we can improvise. We haven’t had the time to do it because we have a number of players who come in late into the football club. But there’s opportunities for us to do it.
“But just because the system has been successful, it might have been successful because the opposition that we’re playing against stayed back and allowed you to dominate the games. Now I think that the teams now that some of the sides that we’ve played against, St Mirren and St Johnstone for instance, want to play themselves, are not fearful of playing, which is great for the league. So those things you have to take into consideration as well. And I think if you’re absolutely stuck to one system, I don’t think that’s going to work in your long term.”
Q: Can I ask Martin, if you take a step back, what you’ve made of the reaction to this week and to the two defeats from outside?
Martin O’Neill: “I don’t know really what the reaction is. Honestly, I don’t, because I’m not on social media and I don’t read.
Q: In terms of you being questioned about tactics and team selection and that sort of thing?
Martin O’Neill: “That’s the nature of the game. Honestly, the minute that you lose a football match, you will be asked. And I don’t see why I shouldn’t be asked. I can get a bit tetchy now and again. Sometimes I have to apologise for that. But overall, what I did say was that we don’t seem to be questioned when we win the football matches. But yeah, everybody has a right to ask.
“I think I said to Connie McLaughlin last night, I don’t think that my job an hour beforehand is to just give out a reason for every single selection thing I make. I don’t think that’s ever been the case. But at the end of it all, yeah, I’m responsible for team selection. I’m responsible for the tactics. And of course I should be questioned.”
Q: “You mentioned in terms of this game coming up that it’s not rock bottom regardless because you’re still going to be in the lead. In terms of the psychological aspect of the fan base, do you need a win though not to let this run drag on? Especially with three weeks of an international break and considering the result you had at Ibrox?
Martin O’Neill: “I was asked that question next door. No, it’s too early in the season to say. It would be great if we could win because we could extend the… That’s the amazing thing to be looking at. Almost even when you’re posing the question to me, you’re thinking, well, if we win we could go eight points clear. And we’ve won the previous six league games. Just occasionally, just occasionally, I can have all the self-effacement in the world but just occasionally I might have to defend myself now and again. But I won’t! It’s a big game whether it’s played in September or March. It’s a really big game. We need to be up for the game.”
Q: And do we need to win the game? It would be nice to win. It wouldn’t be great if we lost. That would be three on the trot.
Martin O’Neill: “And of course, you’re dead right psychologically. But we need to be up for it.”
Q: I think the reason these questions are being posed in this way is because the mood music from the fans is not that the club are five points clear. It wouldn’t be unfair to say there’s alarm bells ringing from the fans in terms of they are worried the direction of this team is heading. Do you understand that? And from the fans that the alarm bells are ringing, do you understand their point?
Martin O’Neill: “I also get the fact that they might be asking why the team has been led by a 74-year-old man.”
Q: Can I move on to the Rangers themselves? I think they kind of sprung a tactical surprise, if it’s fair to say, in terms of last week. What is your thought process behind how you set up to combat what you think they’re going to do or is it more focused on your individuality?
Martin O’Neill: “I think for most of my career as a manager I’ve tried to focus even on what we can do. Of course you take into consideration the opposition. That’s why we look at them. I’m not in control of what the opposition can do. You can only control what you do but you have to counteract whatever sort of systems other teams are playing. Again, if you win the football match it seems as if you have countered those. If you don’t, then you’re open to debate.”
Q: Do you expect them to play like they did last week?
Martin O’Neill: “Yeah, very much so.”
Q: Do you expect them to use the same tactics?
Martin O’Neill: “Why would they want to change a great deal if they’ve won the game? That’s my thought.”
Watch Martin O’Neill’s mainstream media conference below…
