'I don't agree, lads': Celtic boss rejects negativity and disharmony claims as he opens up on tactics

After Wednesday’s 2-2 Premiership draw with Dundee United, McGregor said “we have to try to get the team functioning the way it should”, that games have become “a bit basketball” and suggested some positions don’t have a “nailed-on” profile. His words came on the back of an interview with Carter-Vickers after a defeat by Rangers last month in which the American said Celtic’s play was “too random”.

Celtic have four-point lead at the top of the Premiership - they could extend it to seven points should they win at Falkirk on Sunday - and O’Neill believes the club is having to deal with negativity from supporters and critics. He claimed not to have heard McGregor’s post-match comments but said he concurred with his skipper’s suggestion that Celtic struggle at times to control matches.

When it was put to O’Neill that there is disharmony, the Northern Irishman responded: “I don’t agree at all, not at all. Absolutely not. Again, I must speak to Callum but no. This is Celtic Football Club. If anyone sees a little chink, it widens and widens, you know. I still think we’re doing okay. Am I worried (about negativity)? Honestly, no. Years ago I would have concerned myself but I don’t [now].

“Of course, you want to exert control on the game if you can. But there will be moments, whether it’s at Celtic Park or away, when the opposition will have the ball. It’s how you deal with that. You can’t always close players down immediately.

“Sometimes you have to pick your moment about when to go. Every club is exactly the same. Dundee United came here and closed us down about four times in the first half when we were playing out in the manner we want to do ourselves.

“You want to have control. You won’t always be in control but it’s about what you do in that time, reigning in and making sure teams don’t play through you. I didn’t see or hear a word [of] what Callum was saying, honestly, but I would be agreeing with him.”

O’Neill lamented the ease of criticism to be posted on social media and said he does not see some of the negativity that has been aimed Celtic’s way.

“Seriously, a way back 20-odd years ago, and I had the likes of Larsson, Sutton, Lennon, Petrov and Lambert, if we weren't a goal in front after 25 minutes, there would be a bit of moaning going on,” continued O’Neill. “So I'm well used to that. Personally speaking, when we went behind against Dundee United, I thought the crowd really roused themselves. And I thought the second half, in all honesty, belonged to us. So I don't see it, lads.

“Of course I worry and concern myself about results and dropping points, but for the next set of games, if we have the same number of points, I would be ecstatic from the same group of players. It's going to be improbable, but I would be delighted. I am domestically pleased with where we are considering we've had some players coming in very late on - that's fine, that's my problem - and we're trying to gel together. We're trying to make that ground. Are we complete? No, we're not. But we're still there.”

Why Osmand can’t play as sole No 9 for Celtic

Some of the queries towards Celtic have been centred around the use of strikers Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran as wingers. O’Neill tried to explain some of the rationale behind his selections in the final third.

O’Neill continued: “I’ve said this to you before, I totally agree that Osmand is actually really a centre forward. I’ve said it at the press conference, that he is essentially a centre forward who probably would play off somebody strong alongside him.

“Not so sure that he could lead the line on his own. And that Duran is really a centre forward. So the players are getting to know each other. It’s really as simple as that. So I’m in total agreement with Callum. We’ll sort it out. We seem to be doing okay domestically, trying to sort it out.

“There’s a few players that haven’t had a chance. (Jordan) Lotomba hasn’t had a chance yet to play. There’ll be moments, absolutely. There’ll be people in the squad. Young (Joel) van den Berg, again, has trained today. And so over the course of the next number of weeks, between now and Christmas, I think everybody will be on the field of play.

“And then it’s a matter of establishing right positions as much as possible. Players have played out of position before. Don’t know whether it was a big issue when young Osmand came on in the Benfica game and set us alight.”

O’Neill went into more detail - especially with Osmand and some of the issues coming down the flanks.

“He has just come back from injury, did brilliantly to come on and help win the game for us on the last day of the season. So he's been plagued with a number of injuries, he's come back ... did wee Ozzy think that his first job coming back would be getting thrown on? He wasn't even in the squad against Motherwell and there he is in the second half against Benfica because he has a bit of pace and he caused a few problems.

“Is that his proper position? No. I've said this to you umpteen times, it is not his position. Could he lead the line for us at this minute? Well, he's small, so I'm not sure if you are playing a 4-3-3 system whether the one centre forward would be Ozzy up there on his own. I think that's kind of straightforward. So at the end of the day, if we decide to improvise a little bit, would Ozzy be served better by a strong centre-forward next to him? Then it's a matter of changing people around.

“The same with Duran; Duran would like to be a centre forward. Has he done fine for us and scored goals from wide positions? Absolutely. He's done really fine, but there were a number of times in the first half in the game [against Dundee Utd] - and I think this is the point - where he naturally comes in, even when the ball's been built over the other side, and what has happened is that Donovan is wide right-hand side.

“Colby has received the ball wide where under normal circumstances, you would like to have had Duran there. That's all. And that takes a little bit of tinkering. We actually lost the ball once and then Colby has to make his way all the way back.

“What I want is flair players - they win matches for you. So the most important thing is they win matches, so if we can, the less they have to defend, the more energy they will have to go forward with. But at times, they will have to do that [defend], and that applies to Duran, to [Haissem] Hassan, to little Ozzy and even the centre forward."

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