Stiliyan Petrov drops Wilfried Nancy sack verdict: ‘This is a big concern for Celtic’
Stiliyan Petrov has insisted that Wilfried Nancy is already under pressure at Celtic after a terrible start to his reign at the Old Firm club.
The former Columbus Crew boss has overseen three defeats in his first three matches, each of which were a crucial match in the Glaswegians’ season.
However, Sunday’s 3-1 loss to St. Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final was the most concerning display yet, with Celtic completely outplayed by a side sat ninth in the division.
Therefore, pressure is now mounting on Nancy at Celtic Park, with Petrov now giving his view of the situation.
Stiliyan Petrov: Celtic players aren’t reacting in right manner
As a result of the three defeats, Celtic are in a prickly situation.
Not only have they missed out on a trophy, but they are now six points behind first-place Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, and are only in the top 24 in the Europa League on goal difference.
While they do have two games in hand on the Jambos, it is a dire situation compared to how Martin O’Neill left the club just weeks ago.
- Nancy was appointed as the Celtic manager at the start of December
- The former Columbus Crew boss took over from O’Neill who had a fantastic time as interim manager
- However, Nancy has since oversee three defeats in as many games
As a result, Petrov has expressed his concern about Celtic to Premier Sports on 15 December, with the former midfielder quick to call out how the players have been reacting on the pitch.
He said: “Certain managers have certain ways of working. Managers these days have their own styles; they want to create their own identity.
“But it seems like Wilfried Nancy, having realised what he is facing, maybe he thought there was enough quality there, and the players could react.
“It seems like the players don’t react in the right manner; they don’t play the way they played a couple of weeks ago.
“This is a big concern for Celtic, especially before these three games.
“I know Martin O’Neill did incredibly well; he was brilliant. He was asked to step in, he managed to stabilise the club, he managed to give the players a little bit of confidence and give simple instructions to get their games open and win a couple of games to shorten the gap at the top.
“But the new manager has been given three big games from the first day, and I feel sorry for him, because he has only been there for 10 days and he is already under pressure.”
Is Wilfried Nancy at risk of the sack at Celtic?
It may sound insane to say a manager is at risk of the sack after just three matches, but football in Scotland is ruthless for the Old Firm clubs.
Russell Martin lasted just 17 matches at Rangers this season, in a tenure that many would argue lasted far too long.
This is home now 💚🏡#BienvenueWilfried | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/TyoJRPLlba
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 4, 2025
With Nancy on a far worse run than the former Gers boss, questions have been asked about his future.
However, it appears unlikely that Celtic will rid themselves of Nancy so quickly, with Mick Brown suggesting that this would be “crazy”.
Therefore, with Dundee United up next on Wednesday, Nancy will have another chance to get his first win in Scotland and silence his critics.