Scott Allan accuses Celtic star of not wanting the ball after what he saw on Sportscene vs Motherwell
Celtic slumped to a dismal defeat against Motherwell on Tuesday, plunging Wilfried Nancy back into dangerous waters.
Ibrahim Said and Elliott Watt scored as Motherwell beat Celtic 2-0 at Fir Park, throwing away the Bhoys’ chance of going level on points with Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Nancy looked to have turned a corner at Celtic after his side won consecutive games against Aberdeen and Livingston, but frustration has returned after a shocking performance.
The visitors never really looked in the game at all, and easily could have lost by three or four goals had Motherwell taken their chances.
Celtic will meet Rangers in the Old Firm derby at Parkhead on Saturday, in what is expected to be a hugely important game for Nancy‘s future.
Scott Allan slams Celtic duo
While the first four defeats of Nancy’s Celtic tenure had been difficult to take, he could at least have taken confidence in the fact that his team were creating chances.
The Bhoys dominated the likes of Dundee United and Hearts on a statistical level, and should have had more to show for their efforts.
On Tuesday, however, there was none of that. Celtic were bettered from start to finish and produced just 0.62 expected goals.
| Motherwell | Match stats | Celtic |
| 43% | Possession | 57% |
| 11 | Shots | 8 |
| 6 | On target | 3 |
| 1.45 | Expected goals (xG) | 0.62 |
| 1 | Corners | 3 |
Said headed in the opener after just 13 minutes, and Watt would capitalise on an embarrassing moment for Celtic’s team after the break.
Motherwell had pushed up to press Kasper Schmeichel, with the Dane electing to attempt an intricate short pass instead of booting it long.
But Arne Engels was not ready to receive the pass and had his pocket picked by Elijah Just, who then squared to Watt to double the home side’s advantage.
Speaking to BBC Sportscene on Tuesday, former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan said: “Between Schmeichel and Engels, for me, not one moment does Engels really want that ball.
“You can tell from his body shape, we’ll highlight it in a minute, Schmeichel has to do better for me and listen, he has had a mistake in him this season.
“See here, he’s on the turn, his body language isn’t saying give me that ball, I want to demand that ball. Should you expect that from a Celtic midfielder? You should in my opinion.
“Between him and Schmeichel, they get caught and listen, Motherwell jump on it and finish well and deservedly lead at that time in the game.”
What did Nancy say after Motherwell defeat?
Things were looking up for Nancy before Tuesday’s game, with his Celtic side in good form and playing well.
But the abysmal nature of the defeat to Motherwell has landed the Frenchman right back in trouble at Parkhead.
“Progress, there is progress,” he said after the game. “But tonight, again, where we are, and the opposition that we faced was difficult.
“This is the reality. I’m not accepting that, I’m not saying I accept that. I’m saying that this is a fact.”
For many, that is simply not good enough. Celtic are keen to back Nancy, but defeat to Rangers on Saturday could well be the final straw.