Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic honeymoon period has been more of a headache so far.
Replacing Martin O’Neill ahead of three huge games back-to-back, no one said it would be easy for Nancy, but his first two games have left no doubt over the challenges he is facing.
Against Hearts in his first game at Celtic Park, the team created chances and easily could’ve ended up with a different result.
But in Thursday’s 3-0 defeat to AS Roma, it was a hard watch at times. The Celts were swept aside in the first half, and barely laid a glove on the Italians until the second period.
After the humbling defeat, Nancy was asked about the timing of his arrival at Celtic.
Given the challenging timing of his start, how much of the blame does Wilfried Nancy take for his two defeats so far?
Wilfried Nancy on the timing of his Celtic arrival after Roma defeat
Nancy was pursued by the Celts for a number of weeks, facing a delay to his arrival due to visas and paperwork.
Instead of starting away to Hibs or at home to Dundee, in the end, he was made to wait until a crucial top-of-the-table clash.
READ MORE: Owen Coyle makes claim about Celtic’s performances under Martin O’Neill in Wilfried Nancy defence
It’s far from an easy start – and after the Roma defeat, he was asked about the timing of his Celtic arrival.
He said: “Again, I accept the challenge. I’m ready for the challenge. I knew that before.
“I could have said no, I want to come a little bit later. I don’t know. But the reality is the reality. I knew that we had a big game coming. I also knew that it could be difficult.
“So again, the belief that I have for my players is really high. The way we work, even though we didn’t work a lot, is really high.
“So that’s why I’m really confident. Because they are engaged. We talk to each other. And I believe that in the next few days, we’re going to be able to do something good. Because I feel and I see good things.
“But this is a big challenge. Because obviously, we don’t train. This is all about rest.
“Many players, and again I understand you well, I don’t talk about the previous, about Martin or Shaun, did what they had to do. But what I mean is, many players played many games in a row. Many minutes in a row.
“This is the situation. I would have done the same thing too. But this is the situation. And again, I don’t like to hide behind things. But I like also to have facts. We have a lot of injured players. This is the reality. And this is after. And I knew this before. Understand me well.
“But I’m confident. And I see good things. It’s not enough. But we are going, we are moving forward.
How many points do you think Celtic need to qualify for the Europa League knockout phase?
Celtic’s nightmare against Roma
Nancy went with a completely unchanged starting eleven, though Reo Hatate and Arne Engels’ roles were rejigged.
The game had barely gotten underway when Liam Scales headed into his own top corner in an attempt to stop Gianluca Mancini.
Roma ruthlessly penetrated the left side of Celtic’s defence for a second via Evan Ferguson, before the Ireland striker doubled his tally before the break.
By this point, it was clear that Roma simply had too much for the Celts, and luck wasn’t on their side either – Engels’ missed penalty just piled on the misery.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
