Martin O'Neill has admitted he has a "job on his hands" to prevent Celtic's season from collapsing amid a crisis of confidence. The manager is working to keep his side at the top of the domestic table while enduring what has been described as an excruciating Europa League campaign.
A win over Dundee United at Parkhead could see the champions open up a seven-point gap over Rangers, depending on the Ibrox side's result in their second versus third clash with Hearts at Tynecastle.
Lennon warns of major task
Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon has warned his old mentor faces a major task in boosting the sagging spirits of players and supporters alike following a wretched run of results, which has seen them lose five of their last eight games.
O'Neill, who revealed that Alistair Johnston is expected to spend another three weeks on the sidelines, admitted he cannot afford to take anything for granted after a traumatic period at the helm.
"No, I think Rangers are a big challenge this season. Also, I don't think for one minute that Hearts are out of it either. I can only try to concentrate on my own things, which is the very obvious thing," he said.
"But in terms of having a job on your hands, yeah, you do have a job on your hands all the time. You're managing a big club like this and the expectation is to win."
Different ways to win
O'Neill reflected on the varying demands of a long season, noting that teams cannot always play spectacular football.
"We had two separate weeks of domestic winning in the sense that every time we made an attack, we seemed to score a goal against Hearts, and then we had to fight for everything in the other game," he said.
"There are different ways of winning football matches. During the course of a 42 game season, you'll probably only play incredible stuff maybe 12 to 15 times. The rest of the time you really had to grind it out, and that shows you something about the spirit of a team."
Backing his man-management
O'Neill is backing his own ability to breathe new life into his dressing room, stressing the importance of belief in his players.
"I think that's the one thing about man-management. I don't think that changes. You might have a slightly different approach, but effectively it's the same thing. You're trying to man-manage people and if they've not got the confidence and you believe in them, that's the most important thing," he said.
"If you believe in them and you know that they've done something for you in the past and they can get back to that again, then you will encourage and you'll do everything to try and get them back on course. If you feel as if it won't matter, then obviously you would have to try and look for a replacement."
Johnston injury update
O'Neill will have to do without Canadian full-back Johnston, who pulled up in his comeback match against Hibs on Sunday after suffering fresh damage to a long-running hamstring injury. The manager, who hopes to welcome winger Yang Hyun-Jun back to training next week, provided an update on Johnston's condition.
"Alistair got a scan on Monday night and the results are not too bad. It's not the same injury. There are three muscles in the hamstring and it's one of those but it will be shorter-term for him. He believes that and so do the medical team," he said.
"I can't see him being involved before the international break but he will be after it. That is what we are thinking."
