Martin O'Neill has defended his team selections and insisted Celtic created more than enough chances to beat Falkirk, despite a 2-0 defeat that left the manager visibly frustrated on the touchline.
First-half goals from Ethan Ross and Scott Tanser put the Bairns in control, and Celtic were unable to mount a comeback. Falkirk's resilient defending and an inspired display from goalkeeper Scott Bain kept the champions at bay, with Jacob Murrell having a goal disallowed by VAR for handball. Celtic also spurned several good chances and could have been 3-0 down.
O'Neill Defends Team Changes
O'Neill once again altered his starting XI, dropping Kasper Hogh to start Haissem Hassan, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Cameron Carter-Vickers came into the side. Asked on BBC radio how he felt after "a defeat like that", O'Neill responded: "It was a defeat. I don't know what you mean by a defeat like that. We created a lot of chances in the game."
He added: "Where you're right is that every single time we lose a game, we come under scrutiny. And so we should, the club is used to winning."
Pressed on why he changed his starting XI again, O'Neill said: "Inconsistent selection? What do you mean by that? Why would you not change the team? We have an abundance of games, we're playing European football, we're trying to hold the Scottish flag up at the end of it all."
Form and Finishing Under Scrutiny
Celtic have now won just three games in ten, a run that has raised concern among fans. Speaking to Sky, O'Neill was asked if the team's form could be better. He replied: "Of course we could be better. I'm not sure about your point here. We missed goal after goal today, their goalkeeper was magnificent, you said it yourself he was man of the match. If we'd taken even half the chances we had, we would have won today."
He concluded: "We weren't clinical enough today, we didn't take our chances – or, more importantly, their goalkeeper made some great saves."
