Martin O'Neill will not be pulling Callum McGregor aside for a stern conversation after the captain's revealing comments in midweek, as the manager is in complete agreement with his skipper's assessment of Celtic's current style.
McGregor raised eyebrows following the draw with Dundee United, speaking about 'wasting 45 minutes' against the Tangerines, the issues with playing square pegs in round holes, and the Hoops looking more like a basketball team at the moment.
Shared Concerns Over Control
The comments stemmed from a question posed to O'Neill about Celtic's lack of control in games. McGregor, accustomed to dominating matches on a weekly basis, admitted the last 12 months have been more chaotic and that relying on individuals producing moments of magic might not be sustainable for the season.
Fans interpreted the remarks as another example of a senior player criticising the manager and coaching staff, following Cameron Carter-Vickers branding the approach as 'random' a few weeks ago. However, it was not McGregor's intention at the time, and O'Neill insists they are reading from the same hymn sheet.
Manager's Full Agreement
O'Neill said: "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."
He added: "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."
O'Neill said: "I didn't see or hear a word what Callum was saying, honestly, but I would be agreeing with him. I totally agree that Callum Osmand is actually really a centre forward. I've said this at the press conference, that he is essentially a centre forward, he probably would play off somebody strong alongside him, I'm not so sure that he could lead the line on his own. And that Camilo Duran is really a centre forward, so the players are getting to know each other, it's as really simple as that there, so I'm in total agreement with Callum."
Balance and Flair Players
O'Neill also admitted Celtic do not yet have the balance right, pointing to the staggered preseason following the World Cup and various signings arriving at different times. The team are still finding their feet and rhythm, but O'Neill has one big aim in mind.
He said: "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 defend, and that applies to Duran, to Hassan, to little Ozzy and even the centre forward."
Hassan's Fee and Settling In
Hassan, the Egypt World Cup star, has a box of tricks but questions remain over his end product, especially for a player who cost a significant sum. O'Neill knows Hassan was not cheap but dismissed talk of a £9m price tag and insisted the wide man will deliver.
When asked about justifying the fee, the boss said: "I'm not sure that (£9m figure) was the case, in all honesty. No, nowhere near that. But no, he's come to terms with it, his English is not great at the moment, and I think he's just genuinely come to terms with Glasgow life and come to terms with the way that we see him in the side."
He added: "I thought he did really well against Dundee United, because he has got the ability to cut inside, and he got a shot off, a strong shot that made a really good save. He can go on the outside, and strangely enough now he's on his weaker foot, which would be his right foot, but he's able to make decent crosses coming in. I honestly think that he would have had, if we had taken advantage of some of the stuff that he has done, more assists than he's had, that's my genuine view. Of course he got the assist when Duran had a run when the goalkeeper comes out, but I think he would have done."
O'Neill said: "He is definitely one that's taking time to settle in, of course, and like all players with flair and stuff like this here, you have to put up with some of the things that you don't do so well, and I think that's the point, and I think this is the whole thing about us, we're still trying to get the best out of the players."
New Additions Still Settling
O'Neill still has some new players he has barely seen in action, or not at all. Joel van den Berg has only just started training, Jordan Lotomba has barely kicked a ball, and Landon Emenalo has featured for just 30 minutes across a couple of games.
There might be opportunities for some of them at Falkirk tomorrow, and O'Neill said: "We have a fair idea of what they can do, young Van den Berg, we don't know precisely until he steps in, Lotomba hasn't had a chance at this minute, they're late additions to us, but overall, we're doing fine. We think that eventually when we get everything sorted, we need to be still there or thereabouts, of course, in the season, and we're definitely still tinkering with positions."
