Wilfried Nancy has played down suggestions that Celtic’s repeated set-piece failures stem from his tactical approach, instead pointing the finger at lapses in focus from his players…
The under-fire Frenchman has shouldered responsibility for the team’s disastrous start to his reign, which has seen four straight defeats, but stressed that improvements must come quickly on the pitch.
Pressure has intensified ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Aberdeen at Celtic Park after angry scenes followed Wednesday’s loss at Tannadice, just over two weeks into his tenure.
Each of the defeats to Hearts, Roma, St Mirren and Dundee United has featured goals conceded from corners, with both strikes in the latest 2-1 loss again coming from second phases from dead-ball situations.
Asked about the growing concern, Nancy made it clear he believes concentration – not system or setup – is at the heart of Celtic’s ongoing problems.
Speaking via Daily Record, Nancy said: “This is one of the most difficult things as a manager because set pieces, this is not about technique or tactics, this is mental. This is 10 seconds. And we have conceded a lot with that.
“On Wednesday we were good on the first contact, but the second contact or third contact, we struggled a bit. Before that, we were not good on the first contact. So again, this is tough to concede like this because I think that we deserve better. But the reality is for the moment we concede many goals on that.
Nancy added: “And that’s why this is tough. It’s difficult to explain to you what I feel. Because I really feel that we did well on Wednesday, but at the same time, we conceded like this. Yeah it’s frustrating. But for me, my job is to help the players to find solutions to win games. And I think on Wednesday, we were close to doing it.”
“To be honest, I have nothing to tell them that they did bad,” he continued. “But the three minutes we conceded, it was difficult emotionally to come back.”
“But we came back, we hit the post, we had two or three clear chances. And, yeah, this is tough. I told the players, I’m going to take it. I’m going to take it because this is my job. But we also have to be better.”
Conor Spence
Conor Spence appeared on Sky Sports yesterday afternoon representing The Celtic Star. Here’s what was said…
🍀 “There’s visible confusion and frustration with key players on the pitch…”
Conor Spence from @CelticStarMag on Wilfried Nancy’s winless start at Celtic and if he can turn things around ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/bI4VRWYW6a
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 19, 2025
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If set pieces are a weakness in your team then a large part of weekly training should be on prevention.
On five different occasions (Ralston x 2, Scales x 2, Yang) in the last 4 games have given away needless corners.
HH