Celtic fans are starting to get a feel of what Wilfried Nancy is about.
The Celtic manager’s formation has proven to be a huge talking point since he arrived, and he hasn’t been shy about chopping and changing senior players from his XI.
Despite Celtic beating Livingston over the weekend, Nancy’s side looked like scoring at every opportunity, but they looked like conceding at any moment.
Chris Sutton has taken umbrage at the fact that Liam Scales is no longer getting a look-in, and he had a little rant about it on his latest podcast.
- READ MORE: David Martindale ‘takes his hat off’ to one Celtic player and spots unseen Wilfried Nancy tactic
Is Liam Scales really undroppable for Celtic? Who could replace him?
Chris Sutton wants Liam Scales to start for Celtic
Nancy is only starting one bona fide central defender, and that’s Auston Trusty, with full-backs on either side of him – Anthony Ralston and Kieran Tierney.
Speaking on The Warm-Up, Kris Boyd was teasing Sutton about how he had Scales as his ‘Player of the Season’, not so long ago, but now he is on the bench.
Sutton highlighted Celtic’s defensive issues, especially from set-plays, and how keeping Scales on the bench will ‘bite’ Nancy and the team in the back.
Boyd: “The thing is, though, Chris’s Player of the Season. He must have been very tired. He was rested at Tannadice. We haven’t seen him since.”
Sutton: “I think it’s fascinating how Wilfried Nancy sees it. I will be proven right on this again. You can’t tell me that every time a team gets a long throw. A corner or a free-kick against Celtic. You don’t fancy them to score.
“It will come back, and it will bite Celtic in the backside. Their lack of physicality from set plays. It’s a problem.
“Auston Trusty. Good in one-v-one situations. Backs himself because he is quick. We saw him last year get beaten up. It’s a problem.
“And when you have goalkeepers who don’t want to come off the line and catch the ball. I think it’s a massive problem.
“You can see what Wilfried Nancy is trying to do in that final third, and I have to say, some of the football, in patches, has been really exciting.”
Predicted Celtic starting XI vs Motherwell. Let us know who you start or bench for the big game.
Scales’ stats and minutes under Wilfried Nancy
It’s crazy how Celtic’s season has flipped.
Under Brendan Rodgers, the champions of Scotland were playing some of the most boring football known to mankind – cite the games against Kairat Almary and the Glasgow derby at Ibrox.
But during that period, and when Martin O’Neill arrived for his interim spell, it could be argued that Scales was one of Celtic’s better and most consistent players.
- Scales’ games under Nancy: 6
- Starts: 3
- Off the bench: 3
- Unused substitute: 1
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