O’Neill backs McGregor’s assessment of Celtic’s problems

The story

Martin O’Neill has backed Callum McGregor’s assessment that Celtic need greater control in matches, presenting the captain’s comments as a problem to solve rather than a disagreement within the team. The discussion followed a 2–2 draw with Dundee United and came as Celtic prepared to face Falkirk.

McGregor’s concern was about the way phases of play were becoming too open. O’Neill’s response was that he agreed with the diagnosis and believed the team could address it, keeping the focus on how Celtic were playing rather than on a supposed split between captain and manager.

The issue is balance

The discussion included the use of natural centre-forwards in wider positions. Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran were among the players mentioned in reporting of the captain’s assessment.

That is a practical football question. A striker moving wide brings different instincts from a player accustomed to maintaining width, supporting a full-back and choosing when to come inside. The role can work, but the balance around it has to be clear.

When a team loses that balance, attacks can become exchanges rather than sustained periods of control. Players may arrive in threatening areas without enough support behind the ball, leaving the opposition room to counter. McGregor’s concern points towards that collective shape rather than a simple lack of effort.

Agreement has to become a performance

O’Neill’s support for his captain reduces the scope for treating the remarks as an internal dispute. A manager and senior player can identify the same weakness from different positions: one sees the overall structure, while the other experiences the distances and decisions on the pitch.

The useful next step is to turn that shared assessment into clearer roles. Players need to know where support will come from, who protects the space behind an attack and how the team resets after losing possession.

Those improvements are visible in matches rather than press conferences. A calmer period with the ball, fewer uncontrolled transitions and more connected movement would provide stronger evidence than another statement of agreement.

Falkirk offers the next test

The next fixture gave Celtic an immediate opportunity to respond. A draw in which control became a talking point can produce pressure, but it also supplies a specific area to work on before the next contest.

For O’Neill and McGregor, the message is aligned: the team’s structure needs attention, and the problem can be addressed. The challenge for Celtic is to make that agreement apparent in the next ninety minutes, with the front line and the players behind it functioning as one unit rather than separate parts of the same attack.