Chris Sutton has admitted Wilfried Nancy took a massive risk by changing the Celtic system for his first match in charge against Hearts
The Celtic ‘risk’ Wilfried Nancy took in loss to Hearts
Chris Sutton has admitted Wilfried Nancy took a massive risk by changing the Celtic system for his first match in charge against Hearts
The new Parkhead boss looked to instantly implement his style as he made changes from the shape utilised by Martin O’Neill during his stint as interim boss.
Nancy has become well known for his 3-4-3 system but for Sutton, it was all too soon to rip up the formation O’Neill had found results with at Celtic in the past few weeks.
“Wilfried Nancy took a risk not playing or trusting the Martin O’Neill team and way,” wrote Sutton in X, formerly Twitter, after the 2-1 loss on Sunday.
Hearts were too streetwise for Celtic.”
The former Celtic striker then glanced towards the next transfer window in January as he reiterated his concern over the forward options at Celtic Park.
He continued: “Bottom line is Celtic haven’t been good enough in the final third all season… January is huge…”
After the loss, to see Hearts move three clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, Nancy insisted he is “not about losing or winning”.
The Frenchman focused instead on the performance level and cited mindset in his post-match interview on Sky Sports.
Celtic do have a game in hand over Hearts but could fall further behind in the title race when they play in the Premier Sports Cup final next weekend against St Mirren and Hearts play a league fixture.
“Listen, I am not about losing or winning, I’m about having a good performance,” said Nancy on Sky Sports.
“We know, we all want to win. But for me, it is what can we do better?
“The most important for me is if we give everything as a player individually. What can we do better when we attack and what can we do better when we defend? What can we do better in terms of mindset?
And for me, if we do good things we will see results. Obviously, we want to have another result, and that is totally normal but for me it doesn’t change anything.
“This is more about the way we are going to keep going to work and step by step I think that is going to be interesting.”
Wilfried Nancy’s debut as Celtic manager didn’t quite go as planned, with a 2-1 loss to Hearts at Celtic Park. The Frenchman took a risk by switching to a back three formation, which didn’t quite pay off, especially in the second half when Hearts exploited the gaps in Celtic’s defense ¹ ² ³.
Nancy’s tactics were questioned, with some critics saying he was too focused on strategy and not enough on the team’s mentality and desire. The Hearts’ win was a result of their clinical finishing and Celtic’s poor defending, particularly on set pieces ³ ².
Despite the loss, Nancy defended his side’s performance, highlighting their “really good moments” and possession stats. He emphasized the need to work on the team’s connection and execution in the final third ¹ ⁴.
The defeat puts pressure on Nancy, with some fans calling for his head after just one game. However, others are giving him time to settle in, citing the busy schedule and lack of training time ⁵ ⁶.
Nancy’s appointment was seen as a risk, given the timing and the team’s recent success under Martin O’Neill. Only time will tell if he’s the right man for the job, but one thing’s for sure – he’ll need to quickly adapt and make changes to get Celtic back on track.
