Wilfried Nancy has had a first week to forget at Celtic.
Martin O’Neill won seven of his eight matches in interim charge, and since taking the job on a permanent basis, Nancy has lost three in three.
The first two were bruising enough, but in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final, things hit a new low – many fans have their minds made up on the coach already.
This has partially been fuelled by rumours of the players being unconvinced; this certainly backs up what we’re seeing on the pitch.
But Auston Trusty, speaking after the final, has made his view of events clear.
Is this the worst Celtic have been in ‘over 30 years’?
Auston Trusty on Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy
Trusty has been one of the players most affected by Celtic’s change of system, being used in all three slots in the back three at points.
He operated in the centre on Sunday, and in truth, it was a very shaky performance by the Hoops’ defence.
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Nancy finds himself under immense pressure already, and after the defeat, Trusty was asked about the new manager.
He said: “He’s upset. I think we’re all upset, and we share that, and there’s not much to really say after this game.
“You have to go and watch it back and see what really went wrong. Obviously, you’re emotional during the game, and you may not see certain things when you see it online.
“It’s a test to adapt. It’s up to the players. I think it’s just that they took their chances, and we had a lot of chances.
“It’s either we’re one pass away, or we’re just one moment away from something we would easily put in the back of the net. But it just didn’t go our way.
“It’s pretty quiet in the dressing room, there’s not really much to say.
“You’ve got to take time to decompress, I think a lot of people can be emotional after a game, especially to lose a Cup Final, so it takes time to regroup and watch the game back, watch your actions back, and to come at it with a clear mind and actually come at it in a way to move forward instead of being emotional.
“To wear the shirt and to lose, that’s just not an option. That’s just the environment we’re in, and that’s the culture they’ve built.
“It’s an organisation that I joined, and I knew going into it. It’s the winning mentality here, and we can’t lose.
“We owe the fans everything. This is why we play the game as well, for the fans, I was a fan growing up. They make the environment, they create this environment, this winning mentality.
“To lose and not lift the trophy with them and for them is upsetting. It’s been difficult. A new manager coming in. You want to get results, especially in a big week and three really big games.
“You want to win them to get everyone on your side and get everybody. It’s a big club. We need to have his back. He has our back.”
Does Wilfried Nancy have the belief of the Celtic players?
Celtic’s defence under Wilfried Nancy
We knew that 3-4-3 was Nancy’s preferred formation before he came here – but what was less predictable was his use of Sebastian Tounekti and Yang Hyun-Jun as wing-backs.
This has put a greater emphasis on a new-look trio of centre-backs, with Kieran Tierney dropping in alongside Trusty and Liam Scales.
Results of this have been ugly, with Celtic conceding seven goals in three games under Nancy. Anthony Ralston coming into the three for the final didn’t help.
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Dane Murray haven’t been used, despite the team needing a right-footed centre-half.
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