Martin O’Neill delivers strong response to Celtic tactical criticism following Rangers loss

Martin O’Neill has responded to the criticism surrounding his tactics and team selection after Celtic suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox.

The Celtic manager accepts that losing naturally brings questions about his decisions, but he also pointed out that managers are rarely questioned about their tactics when their teams are winning.

O’Neill said Celtic had enjoyed a strong domestic run before the Rangers game and suggested that the focus on his tactical choices had intensified because of the result.

However, the concerns about Celtic’s performances go beyond the defeat at Ibrox. Rangers exposed weaknesses that had already appeared in several of Celtic’s earlier matches.

Celtic struggled to deal with Rangers’ extra presence in midfield and found it difficult to play through their opponents’ pressing. Their own attempts to press were also poorly coordinated, with players often going forward individually and leaving spaces for Rangers to exploit.

There had been warning signs even when Celtic were collecting positive results. Dundee United hit the woodwork five times during Celtic’s 4-0 League Cup victory, while St Mirren managed 19 attempts in a 2-1 defeat.

Celtic had also allowed 130 shots across their first eight competitive matches before the latest two games, taking that figure to 148 following the Rangers defeat.

That suggests the problems were not created by one poor afternoon at Ibrox. Instead, Rangers were able to expose weaknesses that had already been visible during Celtic’s unbeaten start.

O’Neill and his coaching staff now have an immediate chance to address those issues, with Ferencváros visiting Celtic Park in the Europa League before Rangers return for another derby on Sunday.

Celtic will need to improve their organisation in possession, become more disciplined without the ball and find a better way to handle opponents who press aggressively.

The upcoming international break could also provide O’Neill and his staff with valuable time to work on the tactical problems that have emerged during the opening weeks of the campaign.