Martin O’Neill is back at Celtic… and Celtic are back winning.
In a comfortable afternoon at Celtic Park, Dundee United were swept aside, with the Hoops looking so much more like their normal selves.
Things had quickly gotten ugly under Wilfried Nancy, and the writing was on the wall ahead of his sacking at the start of the week.
But any questions over how quickly the team would readjust to their traditional back four formation under O’Neill have been firmly answered today.
Who is Celtic’s Man of the Match vs Dundee United?
Five things we learned in Celtic vs Dundee United
A 90-minute performance
In Nancy’s eight games, we arguably only saw a 90-minute performance against Aberdeen – but even that is questionable, given the opposition and red card and dramatic nature of that win.
In today’s game, Celtic dominated, took the lead, and kept dominating. Dundee United were suffocated by the intensity of the team’s performance.
Sebastian Tounekti is back
Sebastian Tounekti had been criticised in the weeks before going away to AFCON with Tunisia, but today was an example of the ability the winger truly has.
A gifted one-v-one dribbler with the ability to breeze past players, Tounekti could become a special player for Celtic if he can simply work on his consistency of execution.
The Fozzy effect?
A day after reports of training sessions being a ‘slog’ under Nancy, we were treated to a Celtic performance filled with energy.
From the wingers to the midfielders to the strikers to the full-backs, Mark Fotheringham surely won’t be having any issues with the levels of intensity on show today.
A return to normality for the backline
Celtic’s transition to a back three was perhaps the single most awkward thing about Nancy’s spell. The importance of stability in the backline was emphasised today.
With Liam Scales returning to partner Auston Trusty, the partnership was the foundation on which every Celtic attack was built, allowing Kieran Tierney and Julian Araujo to remain an attacking threat.
Celtic didn’t manage a single clean sheet under Nancy – today showed that this isn’t simply a defensive issue.
How much responsibility should the players take for Nancy’s tenure, given how quickly they seem to have turned it around with Dundee win?
Julian Araujo’s first start
Trusted with a first start in a Celtic shirt, Araujo mostly contributed in the attacking third in the second half.
The Mexican full-back may be needed for the next few weeks, depending on the possibility of a return for Alistair Johnston.
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