‘This is what Martin O’Neill privately told me about his Celtic concerns’
Martin O’Neill privately revealed concerns about his Celtic team ahead of Thursday’s superb win away at Feyenoord.
Celtic beat Feyenoord 3-1 in Rotterdam, with Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren scoring to mark a memorable night in the Europa League.
Ayase Ueda’s early goal had promised a long night for the visitors, but the fight-back was immense, with O’Neill‘s side claiming the three points.
O’Neill returned to Celtic in October, taking over on an interim basis after Brendan Rodgers had been dismissed.
Wilfried Nancy is set to take over as Celtic boss in the coming days, with a deal to appoint the Columbus Crew head coach in place.
Martin O’Neill voiced worries ahead of Feyenoord clash
O’Neill’s return to Celtic has been a massive success. The 73-year-old, who managed the Bhoys between 2000 and 2005, led a side seriously lacking in confidence to five wins from six matches across all competitions.
In a time of need at Celtic Park, the Northern Irishman provided a familiar but encouraging face to a place that desperately needed it.
Celtic’s 3-1 win over Rangers in the Scottish League Cup semi-final will undoubtedly go down as the highlight of the manager’s return, but Thursday’s win was not bad either.
| Feyenoord | Match stats | Celtic |
| 49% | Possession | 51% |
| 14 | Shots | 6 |
| 4 | Shots on target | 4 |
| 1.85 | Expected goals (xG) | 1.31 |
| 4 | Big chances | 3 |
| 6 | Corners | 2 |
It was somewhat of a smash-and-grab from O’Neill’s side, who were able to soak up pressure and get away with good Feyenoord chances before taking their own opportunities up the other end.
If that was to be the last Celtic away game ever managed by the veteran manager, he signed off in style.
Graham Spiers revealed on Friday that O’Neill had actually voiced concerns ahead of the trip to Feyenoord.
“O’Neill had real reservations about this Celtic team’s ability to come to Rotterdam and compete with – let alone beat – Feyenoord,” the journalist wrote.
“He said it to me and he more than hinted at it during his pre-match press conference. O’Neill has had no illusions at all about the quality of this Celtic dressing room; a concern only exacerbated by mid-term injuries to some of the club’s key players.
“So O’Neill, still learning every day about his inherited squad’s mettle, had doubts. But with Celtic, what the interim manager forgot was his own Midas touch when it comes to injecting self-belief and desire into those wearing the green and white hoops.“
O’Neill bids Europa League farewell on ‘lovely night’
Thursday’s victory leaves Celtic on seven points in the Europa League table, with matches against Roma, Bologna and FC Utrecht standing in front of the knockout stages.
Speaking to CelticTV after the match, O’Neill said: “There’s another three matches, two are at home and I’m leaving it now for the man in charge to take it on from here.
“But it was a lovely night, I must admit, a really nice night. It brought me back. These players, they refresh you, they keep you young, even the backroom staff keep you young.
“It was a wonderful night, we’ll celebrate it for a couple of hours and then we’ve got a big game on Sunday.”
Sunday’s match against Hibernian will give O’Neill a chance to say goodbye, with Nancy expected to take over thereafter.