Mark Fotheringham gives revealing details on Celtic’s different approach under Martin O’Neill

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It’s fair to say that Celtic’s fortunes improved under Martin O’Neill.

He took over a Celtic team eight points adrift of Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, after back-to-back away defeats under Brendan Rodgers.

But along with assistants Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus, O’Neill reinstalled much-needed confidence in the team.

Clearly, this didn’t happen by accident. Fans did note differences in the team’s approach after the managerial change.

And speaking for the first time since the interim period, Fotheringham has discussed what the coaching staff tried to change.

Mark Fotheringham on Celtic’s changes under Martin O’Neill

O’Neill is notorious for delegating training to his coaches, so Maloney and Fotheringham will have had plenty of influence.

But how did they get the team playing more effective football?

READ MORE: Rod Stewart reacts to Martin O’Neill’s Celtic departure and shares hunch about extended stay

Speaking to World Football Index, Fotheringham went into fascinating detail on what he and Maloney have been working on.

He said: “The gaffer, Shaun, and I simply looked at areas where we believed little tweaks and improvements could be made.

“On the pitch, we focused on being more aggressive with our passing, reducing touches and playing more vertical passes that create one against one opportunities out wide.

We worked on positional play and introduced new concepts. The players have responded brilliantly, and you can see the improvements in their performances.

“We have worked very closely with Greg Wallace and the analysts, Ross, Mike, and Sam, particularly on statistics such as counter-pressing.

The improvement in that area has been significant. That is the Celtic identity: press hard, win the ball back quickly, and win it as close to the opponent’s goal as possible.

“To be able to counter-press aggressively and consistently, you need players who are extremely fit and capable of repeating these high-intensity actions week in, week out, especially with the volume of games we play.

Tim Williamson and Andrew Boles, alongside Alejandro and William, ensure the squad are in fantastic physical condition and follow a very thorough recovery process between matches, allowing the players to sustain those levels throughout the season.

“Much of what Shaun and I have implemented comes from the high-profile managers we have learned from.

“Shaun worked under Roberto Martínez. I learned from Felix Magath and Jürgen Klinsmann. The gaffer has a very similar way of viewing football. He keeps it simple and effective.”

Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy

O’Neill, Rodgers and new man Wilfried Nancy are three coaches with pretty clear differences in their tactical approaches.

Rodgers’ controlled brand of football had worn thin on some supporters, making a more direct approach under his interim replacement a welcome change.

Nancy is another possession-based coach, but with some key differences, including formation. Throughout his career so far, he has favoured a 3-4-3 system.

Nancy’s approach to positional play is drastically different from Rodgers, with a greater emphasis on movement, link-up and migration from positions.

Whether this will be evident straight away at Celtic is a different question.