Martin O’Neill got so much right in the Glasgow derby. Tonight, he cannot afford to repeat the one call that nearly cost Celtic badly.
The 3-1 win over Rangers has given Celtic a surge of belief going into the penultimate night of the Premiership season. It has put the title race back in their own hands, dragged Hearts into a final-week fight, and given the support the sort of performance they had been waiting on for months.
But Fir Park is not a night for sentiment or loyalty to a winning team. It is a night for cold decisions.
The one O’Neill must get right is Luke McCowan.
McCowan has a place in this Celtic squad. There is no doubt about that. He has shown he can affect games, find pockets, carry the ball into dangerous areas, and offer a bit of craft when matches start to open up.
The issue is not his usefulness. It is the role.
Starting him wide on the right tonight would be a risk Celtic do not need to take.
Against Rangers, McCowan came in for heavy criticism after the opening goal. His lack of physicality in the build-up was punished, and in a derby where every contact and second ball mattered, he looked like a player caught in the wrong part of the pitch for the wrong kind of contest.
To his credit, he did not hide. He recovered from that moment, kept trying to get involved, and played a part in the move that led to Celtic’s equaliser. It says something about his character.
But it does not change the wider point. The game largely passed him by in the heat of the battle, and O’Neill acted at half-time by replacing him with Tounekti. Celtic looked better for the change, with Tounekti giving the side more directness and natural balance in the wide area.
Tonight presents another awkward decision.
Celtic are not exactly overloaded with winger options. Daizen Maeda is surely nailed on to start through the middle, while Yang looks the obvious choice for one flank. That leaves the other wide position up for grabs.
Tounekti has his own question marks. Like McCowan, some of his best work has come when entering matches from the bench rather than setting the tone from the first whistle.
But Celtic cannot allow uncertainty on one side of the pitch to push McCowan back into a role that does not suit him.
His best impact has often come later in games, when he can play between the lines, find space against tired legs, and offer something different once the shape of the match has changed. That is where he can still be valuable tonight.
Fir Park will not be gentle. Motherwell have already played their part in this title race by frustrating Hearts and beating Rangers, and they will fancy making life uncomfortable for Celtic as well.
This is not a game Celtic can ease their way into. They need tempo, aggression, width, and proper physical presence from the first whistle.
McCowan can still have a part to play. But not as the starting right winger.
O’Neill has restored belief in this Celtic side, but tonight is not just about motivation. It is about selection. One wrong call could make an already tense night even harder.
Celtic need two wins. The first has to come at Fir Park.
That means O’Neill must fix the one mistake from Sunday before the team sheet drops tonight.
To lay the blame on luke for their goal is unfair. watch it back and watch engles disappear when it mattered most. he was in a receiving position as luke picks up the ball, then as luke is surrounded by 3 rangers players he inexplicably decides to move up the pitch and not leave any options for a pass. you can see from lukes reaction what he thought about that. But I agree he doesnt have the physicality for that role. To me hes better as a roaming midfielder looking for the space to receive and pass/run into.