Martin O’Neill admitted Celtic’s Europa League defeat to Midtjylland was decided in a brutal first-half spell that saw the Danish side score three times in seven minutes.
Celtic had held their own for half an hour before defensive lapses and Midtjylland’s intensity turned the contest on its head. The hosts’ aerial threat and sharpness in attack proved too much for a Celtic side still recovering from their weekend exertions.
O’Neill pointed to that short spell as the defining moment, though he praised his players for showing spirit in the second half to avoid a complete collapse. The Irishman also suggested fatigue may have played a part following Sunday’s extra-time win over Rangers in the League Cup semi-final.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “Half an hour gone in the match, no score in the game, and then we conceded two goals within a minute, I think, and then a third one within seven minutes. So, naturally, that turns the game.
“We showed a lot of resilience in the second half to keep at it, because the team could have gone on at that stage, but they showed a bit of character, which was lovely to see.
“I do genuinely think that on Sunday, the emotion of the game, everything went well. The extra time, all of those particular things definitely played a part. We just looked a little bit leggy.“
O’Neill’s comments summed up a game that quickly slipped away from Celtic. They started well but lost focus and shape once the pressure came on, allowing Midtjylland to take full control before half-time.
The team showed a bit more fight after the break, but that short spell in the first half had already done the damage. It was clear that the recent run of games had taken its toll, with a few players looking tired and off the pace.
Even so, O’Neill took encouragement from the effort shown late on and wants his side to build on that attitude.
With Kilmarnock coming to Celtic Park on Sunday, he’ll be looking for a more energetic and disciplined performance to help get the team moving in the right direction again.
When teams stand off us…we do well…When they don’t…well that’s a different thing…We can’t cope when they come at us…Especially with players who are technically better than us…The European road ahead of us is a long one.
Martin needs bobo baldi johan mjalby type players in the team. We lack that physical presence which makes us a soft touch. Now that Osmand is out for a while i would like to see Yamada have a run up front, his speed and energy could help us a bit like Kyogo . We need Jonstone back urgently and for me Tearney is not the player he once was sorry.
Pick any manager you like, it won’t matter. This team needs a complete rebuild.
The board shot themselves in the foot allowing Kyogo and Kuhn to walk without being replaced.
Now those players still need replacing along with so many others and it will cost way more than we have in the bank.
It’s a laugh that some people thought we would be a contender in the Europa league. I doubt we could even make a deep run in the Conference league with this team.
The players that looked like they had something 12 months ago are now finished Maeda, Hatate, Mc Gregor have all downed tools and need to go.
If Desmond and Lawwell thought that two wins in Scotland would take the pressure off the Board for their lack of recruitment, last night will have proved them wrong. Fans will have clearly seen, the lack of quality and physicality in the team as a result of the mess the Board made of the transfer windows and allowing both Kyogo and Kuhn go without replacing them in all the time they had to do so.
The recruiting and scouting team set-ups look like they also need a complete overhaul and are obviously ‘shopping’ in markets not up to scratch but taking them for a ride when it comes to negotiations.