Luke McCowan has admitted the transition to Wilfried Nancy’s tactical approach at Celtic has not been straightforward…
Speaking to the mainstream media at Hampden on Friday, McCowan reflected on the challenges of adapting to a new 3-4-2-1 shape introduced by the Frenchman. The Celtic midfielder was questioned directly on his experiences so far as the squad continues to adjust to the demands of Nancy’s system.
“It’s hard personally,” admitted the Hoops midfielder via Celtic’s official YouTube channel. “You want to play as many games as you can and obviously get a little taste of starting three, four back-to-back games, helping the team get to some victories. But I just need to get my head down, as hard as it is.
“You need to just keep working away and when your chance comes it comes and you’re ready for it. You need to put work in on the training ground. You need to study what style we want to play and what the manager wants and try and be at my best when I’m in the team.”
Despite the challenges that have come with the tactical shift, McCowan stressed that full commitment to the manager’s ideas is essential for the squad.
“We need to buy in,” he said. “It’s non-negotiable. We need to back everyone in this building, regardless of who’s been playing well, who’s not. Whatever it is, we’re a team.”
“We need to back each other through the good and the bad because everybody’s all high-fives and cuddles when we’re winning but this team doesn’t go through two or three results that go bad.”
McCowan continued: “This is where the true characters are shown so we need to just be together. I know I’ve said it so many times in this interview but stick together.”
“It’s just when you go through bad spells. Me personally, I’ve done it with Dundee at Ayr and trust me, they’re worse than bad times there. We just need to have that same attitude of we’ll move on to the next game. As I said before we even started, the games are coming fast in this period, and it’s a good thing that if you get one win, it can propel you into getting a few hopefully, and we just need to start with that on Sunday.”
Hopefully the likes of Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo and Kelechi Iheanacho will come into the team tomorrow. If Celtic go with the same team that started against both Hearts and Roma the same outcome is pretty much what we can expect.
Conor Spence
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Still don’t believe that we are operating with a settled dressing room whatsoever imo?
This is a problem that Nancy has inherited, and won’t get resolved in January either. Along with the injury list as it is, hardly makes his job any easier either imo?
Think it has been overlooked upon the effects of a world cup season, has had upon many of our players?
Kasper possibly is hoping to finish his career at the world cup finals.
Maeda still looking like a shadow of the player we had last season.
Hatate maybe trying to make a late push for a squad place for Japan?
Same applies to Engels, who is a far better player than that runt raskin.
Yang starting to get some game time recently, but will it be good enough for a world cup squad place?
Trusty possibly can’t afford his form to drop off to much either?
That’s without the injury issues surrounding both AJ and Saracchi, and when they will become available again. Certainly say both will be looking for game time, but both could be looking at totally different roles than what they may play at international level?
Both Seb and balikwisha will be looking to impress at the AFCON, as both haven’t done to much for ourselves at club levels yet for ourselves to date.
And remain unconvinced that Paulo sees his future to long with ourselves either imo?
Overall that’s potentially 11 players, who may well have bigger plans for themselves, on their minds at present regarding international interests. Possibly even moreso than the demands of our club at club levels imo?
Just how many of these 11 potential players, could see there chances of a world cup squad place, actually improve if they were playing elsewhere?
Just so happens that all 11 currently hold a europa league squad place with ourselves.
So with possibly only 3 changes allowed to our current europa league squad in January, doubtful that many of our current players are going to get what there wishes may desire, for the remainder of this season?
Could staying with ourselves, potentially impact upon themselves for gaining a world cup squad place for themselves, come the end of this season?
This is a massive mentality issue, that Nancy has to try and find solutions to, before January even comes upon ourselves?
Don’t believe Rodgers could find the solutions whatsoever, and players stopped playing to there abilities, with the system of play he had in operation imo?
It remains unclear yet, if so many players will actually buy into the plans of Nancy, especially if so many have there mindset elsewhere?
So many of our support is looking for the new additions to be added come January.
Personally believe that keeping hold of players, and trying to change the mindset within so many, could be the bigger challenge that Nancy faces come January imo?