Celtic accused of not being tactically 'aligned' as former star names Hoops trio who are used to more clarity
Hoops boss Martin O’Neill has been compare to his predecessors
Celtic hero Charlie Mulgrew reckons his old side aren’t ‘tactically aligned’ under manager Martin O’Neill and that some of the senior players won’t be used to his style.
The veteran boss came in last season to steady the ship and secured the domestic double in dramatic fashion. Getting over the line in big games and man management are O’Neill’s greatest strengths according to Mulgrew, however when it comes to the tactical side of the game, he’s not as convinced.
Before O’Neill came back, the club were led by two philosophers of the game in Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou. Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, midfielder Callum McGregor and winger James Forrest all excelled under these bosses but haven’t quite hit the same heights this season under O’Neill. Mulgrew reckons this could be down lack of tactics and guidance.
How does Martin O’Neill compare to predecessors tactically?
Speaking on the Breakdown podcast, Mulgrew said: “I wouldn’t say he’s lost the changing room, because that would indicate that all the players are done with the manager, and I don’t think that’s the case. But naturally, when you lose games, and you don’t have good performances, and you’ve won five games out of 12, you start to question things.
“There’s a group of players there, Callum McGregor, Cameron Carter-Vickers, James Forrest and others, that have worked under Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers, who are completely clear on how they wanted to see the team play, how they wanted to press, how they wanted to play in possession, what it looked like, very tactical-minded coaches, who are very clear.”
Incidentally, both McGregor and Carter-Vickers are two of the players who’ve been critical of Celtic’s approach in recent weeks. The latter described Celtic’s tactics as random after they were defeated 1-0 by Rangers in September, while the captain described their performance against Dundee United last month as ‘a bit like basketball’ after a 2-2 draw.
Celtic aren’t tactically ‘aligned’ - Mulgrew
Mulgrew has made no secret that he’s a big admirer of O’Neill’s for bringing back their winning mentality last season, however he also thinks that tactically, the players look lost at times. He continued: “Martin O’Neill isn’t that guy. I don’t think he’s a tactical manager.
“Of course he sees the game in certain ways, but I don’t think, in terms of modern tactics, that’s how he looks at the game. So I think naturally when you’re not winning games, players go, ‘oh, this is how Brendan Rodgers used to do it’. No doubt about it, Martin O’Neill, at the core of him, he’s a winner. He knows what it takes to get a team over the line. But tactically, they don’t look completely aligned.”
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