Wilfried Nancy believes his Celtic players are guilty of rushing key moments rather than playing with controlled speed.
We’ve seen some reckless passing and unforced mistakes made over the past few days, with the players simply not thinking the basics through.
Ahead of Sunday’s League Cup Final against St Mirren, Nancy revealed he has spoken directly to the squad about composure in possession and wants to see better decision-making in the final third.
”In the last two games, this is something I’ve discussed with them. We have a tendency to rush instead of playing fast. We have more time than we think in the last pass and sometimes we rush the pass,” he said to the Daily Record.
“If we have a bit more composure, we should be able to play a big pass, a big assist. These are the kind of nuances I try to help my players understand.
“Yes, we have to play quick, we have to play fast, but try to find the balance to avoid rushing. Because when we rush, we don’t exploit the advantage that we had.”
Celtic have scored just once under Nancy so far, despite spells of promising build-up.
Missed chances and slack passing have plagued the team in both defeats to Hearts and Roma. The manager is trying to find the balance between intensity and patience and hopes to see that bear fruit on Sunday.
Selection will also be under the spotlight. Sebastian Tounekti is unavailable due to international duty, while Kelechi Iheanacho, Colby Donovan and Paulo Bernardo all made an impact from the bench midweek. Whether that was a test run ahead of the final remains to be seen.
Nancy knows he needs both performance and result at Hampden. But if Celtic are to lift the first trophy of the season, they’ll need to do it with more poise on the ball, something their manager is desperate to instil.
