Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for Celtic and Wilfried Nancy…
Mick McCarthy style, it does.
It looked like something could have finally clicked for Celtic in the first half at Tannadice, but just like we saw in the Premier Sports Cup final, an abysmal second half threw it away.
Unbelievably, Nancy has now lost all four of his opening matches at Celtic – the Hoops haven’t lost four in a row in any circumstances since the 1977-78 season.
Here’s five things we learned from yet another nightmarish outing.
Five things we learned in Dundee United vs Celtic
Noticeable tactical change troubles Dundee United in the first half
Luke McCowan being used as a wing-back in the first half was certainly an eyebrow-raiser, but it allowed for Celtic to terrorise their opponents down the left side before the break.
McCowan tucked inside in possession, allowing Daizen Maeda to hug the touchline, and the benefits of this were clear for the Celts’ first goal.
But within fifteen minutes of the second half, the Celts’ good work was undone.
Should Wilfried Nancy be sacked?
A wasteful performance in front of goal
Despite his assist for Maeda’s opener, Johnny Kenny won’t want to watch his first half back.
Threatening the United defence in behind, Kenny was served with some glorious opportunities to add to his goal tally for the season.
But in the end, not only did they not go in, but they came back to haunt Celtic.
READ MORE: Chris Sutton hints at what Martin O’Neill really thought of Celtic’s squad
Celtic fragile on set pieces… again
Both of Dundee United’s early goals in the second period came from set pieces, and to be honest, you could see it coming given that Celtic had one recognised centre back on the pitch.
United clearly targeted Anthony Ralston for their equaliser, and the Celtic man was no match for Ross Graham in the air.
It won’t matter how much Nancy can dominate games if he can’t address the set-piece problem.
Is this the goal that will seal Nancy’s fate?
A familiar pattern between two halves
Nancy had said that the only thing missing from his three games was a 90-minute performance, and it looked that the team were on the right track to get one.
But as United put the Hoops under much more pressure after the break, the Celtic team looked just as lost as they did at Hampden – it was almost unfathomable.
Maeda missed a glorious opportunity to equalise in the later stages, but Celtic couldn’t rectify the mess they made between the break and the hour mark.
What now for Wilfried Nancy?
Many Hoops fans were already questioning Nancy after his first week, but by the end of the game tonight, they were audibly calling for Nancy to be sacked.
This is at odds with what Michael Nicholson told the Celtic support on Wednesday, that the plan was to stick with Nancy despite his difficult start.
We are left in an even more ridiculous position now, where the Frenchman faces an almighty uphill battle to win back the supporters who mostly didn’t know who he was this time last month.
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