There has been plenty said about Wilfried Nancy’s doomed spell at Celtic.
Many commentators from the US simply do not understand the demands of the Glasgow club as many fail to accept that the Celtic job is bigger than any in the MLS.
The demands from the fans are greater, the thirst for success at Celtic is larger and, let’s be honest, the expectation to win every game is like no other club in the world.
What do you think is the main reason Wilfried Nancy couldn’t buy a win as Celtic manager? 🤔
The stats are damning…
And that is simply what Wilfried Nancy didn’t understand. Which is why Robbie Neilson absolutely nails it with his critique of the ex-Celtic boss and why he struggled to adapt from the MLS to Scottish football.
Why Wilfried Nancy’s MLS mentality failed at Celtic
The former Hearts man coached in the MLS as the manager of Tampa Bay Rowdies for almost two seasons.
And he spells out exactly why Nancy failed at Celtic after his experiences in the US.
Neilson told The Scottish Football Podcast, “I think that’s one of the issues with Wilfred Nancy coming in. Of course, I’ve coached out in America, I know what the mentality is like. The mentality is, if you’re not winning, do plan A better.
“It’s not go to plan B or plan C. You know, whereas when you’re in Scottish football and the old firm, you just have to find a way to win. And that was a problem for me.”
How Wilfried Nancy’s 3-4-3 left Celtic “open” on the transition
Celtic were forever being picked off on the counter-attack not just on the European stage, but domestically as well.
And here, Neilson explains that this is the main reason Celtic supporters’ patience ran out with the Frenchman.
The former Hearts manager continued, “He didn’t find a way to win. He tried to make his plan A better, and he was trying to fit players into the system. When you play that three, four, three, it’s a fantastic system when things click.”
“The difficulty you have with a three, four, three is, on a transition you can be very, very open if you’re not set up well behind the ball.
“So, if you’re playing with two full backs and outside centre-half positions, at times they drift wide and they drift in pockets that don’t protect the transition. And that’s when you end up with the one v ones and the two v ones.
“So, if you want to play this 3-4-3, great in possession, but you’ve got to have the right players defensively, and that was the big issue.
“So, not finding a way to win, and then not having the players to play that system. So, it just all spiralled, you know, and I know what football is like.
“You lose one, you lose the next one. The players start to lose belief, the fans lose belief, and then eventually the board lose belief, and then you’re out the door.”
And that is exactly what happened to Nancy. His stubbornness to force a system on a team who simply did not have the players not only cost Celtic on the pitch, it cost the Frenchman his job.
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