Celtic’s current issues under Wilfried Nancy continue to make the headlines.
The preference would be for Celtic to be seen in a better light, but that’s what happens when you lose three games in a row in Glasgow.
Nancy continues to take verbal pelters for what he has done since Martin O’Neill’s interim spell in charge, during which he won seven out of his eight games, including beating Rangers and Feyenoord.
But Nicky Butt thinks the new man in Celtic’s dugout was already fighting a losing cause before he could even get going.
- READ MORE: Wilfried Nancy discusses Luis Enrique, friends in jail and why he isn’t a ‘weak guy’ at Celtic
Does Wilfried Nancy have the belief of the Celtic players?
Nicky Butt on Wilfried Nancy replacing Martin O’Neill at Celtic
If Nancy had taken charge just after Brendan Rodgers left at the end of October, then it probably would have been a different ball game.
Instead, he was ‘following a legend’, as Butt stated on the No Tippy Tappy Podcast, and he was always going to be ‘on a hiding to nothing.’
Either way, Butt thinks it was ‘madness’ for Nancy to take up the role when he did.
“I think, with the new manager, he is following a legend, isn’t he?!” said Butt. “He is on a hiding to nothing after what Martin did over that short period of time.
“Again, never been a manager, but you look at the big picture, and you are thinking, ‘if I go into that club, unless I win that league. I am finished. I am not good enough – Martin has gone in and won seven out of eight.’ He is on a hiding to nothing. It’s a madness for him to take that.”
Do you agree with this Celtic predicted XI vs Dundee United? Who would you have in?
‘Cop-out’ formation amid Nancy’s struggles at Celtic
Unless Celtic start winning games of football, then Nancy’s system will continue to be a talking point, and the critics of it won’t go away.
But Manchester United legend Butt thinks such a formation is a ‘cop-out’, as he doesn’t seem to be a fan of it all after always playing 4-4-2 under Alex Ferguson.
“For me, it’s a cop-out formation as well. I am a big believer that it’s a cop-out because, all my career at Manchester United, we played 4-4-2. All the time.
“But if you have a bit of common sense, all you have to do is bring a certain player. Let’s say it’s the winger. Bring him in 15 yards, and you become 4-3-3. The centre forward, drop him as a ten, and you become 4-3-3.
“It’s very, very simple to change it. All it means is walking 15 yards and standing still, and your system has changed straight away. The fullback goes higher, and the other fullback goes in. You are basically three at the back.
“It’s a cop-out. When it works, they are ‘geniuses.’ And when it doesn’t work, the formation is wrong. It’s madness. A lot of stuff is a cop-out.”
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
