Wilfried Nancy's managerial debut at Celtic ended in a costly 2-1 home defeat to Heart of Midlothian, a result that saw the Edinburgh side re-establish a three-point lead at the Scottish Premiership summit.
Promising Start Unravels for New Boss
The Frenchman, taking charge for the first time since replacing Martin O'Neill, saw his team begin the top-of-the-table clash brightly. However, their early dominance counted for little as Claudio Braga struck for Hearts on the cusp of half-time, completely shifting the momentum of the match.
Nancy admitted his side's composure evaporated after falling behind. "We played with urgency, but sometimes we played with panic at the same time because we missed many passes," the 48-year-old former Columbus Crew boss reflected. He was encouraged by the initial rhythm and intent but rued a lack of cutting edge in the final third when his team was on top.
Hearts Capitalise to Seize Control
Derek McInnes's Hearts side emerged after the interval much improved and deservedly doubled their lead through defender Oisin McEntee. Celtic's late response, a strike from Kieran Tierney, proved to be nothing more than a consolation. The victory means Hearts have now lost just once in their last 16 outings, firmly underlining their credentials as genuine title contenders this season.
Nancy pinpointed the defensive errors that proved so costly. "Today, if I talk about the result, we conceded two goals because we could have done better on the first goal. So, it’s on us," he stated, taking responsibility. He specifically analysed the second goal, suggesting his players needed to be more alert and organised to prevent such opportunities.
Nancy Focuses on Performance Over Pure Results
Despite the setback, which ended a run of five consecutive league wins under the previous management, Nancy sought to focus on the longer-term process. He highlighted positive first-half elements where his team "unbalanced" Hearts' defensive structure but acknowledged the need for greater precision.
"I’m not about losing or winning," Nancy added. "I’m about having a good performance. I want to win but, for me, it’s about individually what we can do better." He stressed that consistent results would be a natural byproduct of reaching and maintaining higher performance standards in both attack and defence.
With the season still long, and Celtic retaining a game in hand, the new manager refused to be drawn into panic. "The season is so long. This is really, really long," he emphasised, outlining his belief that improvement will come through focused work on the training ground. The challenge for Nancy is to ensure this debut defeat is a minor stumble rather than a sign of things to come in the fiercely competitive title race.
