Celtic chiefs forced to ponder Wilfried Nancy future as naive and hubristic tenure sent into abyss by Rangers

There is only one place to start after Celtic’s 3-1 defeat by Rangers and that is with their manager, Wilfried Nancy. The Frenchman is now deep in the danger zone. Eight matches in charge, six defeats, just two wins against bottom club Livingston and ten-man Aberdeen. It is a record wholly unbefitting of the Scottish champions.

The next 24 hours or so will tell whether Nancy will be given a stay of execution by a Celtic board that a month ago put their faith in him to take the club forward after the Brendan Rodgers era. If the hierarchy does retain that belief, then it is in the minority.

Celtic played well in the first half against Rangers and should have been more than Yang Hyun-jun’s 20th-minute opener to the good. They carved the visitors open but were wasteful with their finishing. And as has been so damaging under Nancy thus far, the opponents emerged after the break and sussed his team out. Rejuvenated and revamped by their head coach Danny Rohl, Rangers scored three goals via Youssef Chermiti twice and Mikey Moore to send Parkhead into palpitations.

Celtic have shipped 18 goals under Nancy. However threatening they are in attack, they are undone by serious defensive flaws. His fluid, chaotic 3-4-3 system does not suit his players and they are haemorrhaging chances to all manner of foes. The Frenchman clung on to positives after this match and feels a complete performance isn’t far away.

There can be little doubt that Celtic have regressed alarmingly during Nancy’s brief stewardship. His players have been sapped of confidence and clearly can’t carry out what he is looking to achieve. They deal poorly with adversity. As soon as Rangers moved ahead on 59 minutes, Celtic folded.

Celtic’s regression under Nancy is stark

Nancy’s position is now in grave jeopardy. Celtic trail leaders Hearts by six points and Rangers have joined them in second place. Only goals scored separates them. When the 48-year-old took over, Celtic were level with Hearts and nine points ahead of the Ibrox side. The decision to rip up the good work under caretaker boss Martin O’Neill - who won seven out of his eight matches - and immediately impose his own system and philosophy on a still fragile group of players during a hectic schedule of key matches reeks of naivety and hubris.

The alarm bells around Nancy’s team rang long before this reversal. One can argue that he has inherited a malnourished squad, walked into a club engulfed in civil war as fans rile against the board, but there is still enough quality in the squad to rule Scotland. O’Neill proved that.

The Northern Irishman may get the chance to do so again. Celtic fans would gladly welcome the 73-year-old back alongside his assistants Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, who were cast aside by Nancy. What happens next will ultimately be up to major shareholder and kingmaker Dermot Desmond, who not long ago gave his blessing for the current manager to come in from Columbus Crew.

Across the city, Rangers will hope for the status quo, as will leaders Hearts. The Jam Tarts won 1-0 at Tynecastle against Livingston to strengthen their position at the top. They defeated Rangers a fortnight ago - but the threat from Ibrox is real.

Since his appointment in late October, Rohl has now presided over 13 league games with Rangers and the only blemish came against Hearts. His tenure had lacked a statement win but vanquishing bitter rivals Celtic so emphatically does wonders for the German’s standing at Ibrox and the squad’s confidence levels.

Rangers weren’t at the races in the first half and can thank goalkeeper Jack Butland for keeping the score down. They were uncompetitive in midfield and were exposed down their left side. Rohl recognised this at half time, tinkered with his system and brought on Mohamed Diomande for Thelo Aasgaard to add more energy and bite to his team. The move paid off handsomely.

Rangers boss knows the drill

Rohl had proven himself to be far more aware of his surroundings. He came in at Ibrox under trying circumstances given the disastrous Russell Martin reign and has tweaked tactics to suit the players at his disposal. He has managed the group well and has improved many of them, not least striker Youssef Chermiti.

The 22-year-old Portuguese was bought from Everton for £8.5 million and started his career at Rangers poorly. We are finally starting to see some promise from the Sporting CP academy player, who has been brought to life under Rohl. He timed his run across Kieran Tierney impeccably on 50 minutes to meet Nicolas Raskin’s cutback to level and then dispossessed Anthony Ralston, charged in on goal and finished with composure to put Rangers 2-1 up just before the hour mark.

This could be the start of something for Chermiti, a softly-spoken individual but with all the physical tools to succeed in Scotland. He was ably supported by teenager Mikey Moore, another who is flourishing under Rohl. He was set clear on 71 minutes and finished confidently past Kasper Schmeichel to seal all three points and give Rangers their most comprehensive win at Celtic Park since a 3-1 triumph in October 2010.

The goal sparked bedlam in all areas of the stadium. As a small slither of Rangers fans celebrated wildly, a larger group of Celtic fans turned to the directors’ box and vented their spleen. They want heads to roll - in the boardroom and in the dugout. Hundreds of supporters congregated outside afterwards to continue the protests.

These are two Glasgow clubs going in different directions. Arresting Celtic’s slide amidst one of their worst runs in a generation may well start with another managerial change. Nancy may want more time but after a painful defeat by Rangers, there is scant evidence to suggest he merits it.