Celtic icon spots recurring theme from Champions League nightmare as Hoops told they must change 'narrative'
Former winger spotted something in the Rangers defeat that also happened against LASK Linz
Celtic hero Aiden McGeady noticed that captain Callum McGregor was isolated in the midfield against Rangers in the same way that he was against LASK Linz in the Champions League play-off.
The Hoops were defeated 3-0 by their rivals at Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup quarter final last Sunday - 20 days after their 5-1 collapse in Austria. While McGeady noticed similarities between the two performances, with a home Premiership derby fixture around the corner he reckons it’s now up to the Hoops the ‘change the narrative’.
Celtic had been flawless domestically before Sunday afternoon - but with the wounds of the Champions League disaster not fully healed, the result against Rangers has been met with plenty of tactical scrutiny. Manager Martin O’Neill is now tasked with changing their fortunes in the Europa League on Thursday night before they face Rangers again.
McGeady on Celtic recurring theme
Speaking to BoyleSports, McGeady said: “Callum McGregor is the focal point and the figurehead of the team, so it's understandable, and he's the most experienced. I don't think it will bother him too much, but I don't think anybody can come away from that game with any credit, to be honest.
“Callum is probably getting stick because of how Celtic set up, he plays as a six, but a lot of the time he drops back in between the centre-halves to start the play. What I noticed was that the gaps between himself and the other two midfielders, Nygren and Baur, were too big, and when Rangers won the ball back, Callum McGregor was almost against two or three Rangers midfielders and getting overrun.
“That's been the theme at times this season when Celtic haven't performed well, especially in Europe, like the game against LASK. I don't think anybody can complain about being criticised after that game. As a Celtic fan, that performance and result was unacceptable, to be honest with you. I don't think anyone would disagree with that.”
Hoops now must ‘change the narrative’
Before Sunday, Celtic had their rivals in a chokehold domestically, having knocked them out of both cups last season and finishing 10 points ahead of them in the league. After Rangers’ wobble at the start, Celtic maintain a five point lead this campaign over Derek McInnes’ side, therefore a win on Sunday can help change the narrative before the international break, according to McGeady.
He continued: “Everyone going into this game thought Celtic would brush Rangers aside, but it was the complete opposite. Celtic have a big game next week against them again to try to change the narrative. They need to change what everybody's been saying, because that was probably one of the poorest performances I've seen from Celtic against Rangers at Ibrox in the last five or six years.”
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