There has been plenty of reaction surrounding Wilfried Nancy’s debut match as Celtic manager.
Yes, it’s Celtic, so scrutiny is expected, but some of the early overreaction needs to be toned down. Nancy has only just taken over, and while the result wasn’t what he wanted, there were encouraging signs — and Celtic were also a bit unfortunate with the way Hearts’ second goal unfolded.
James McFadden on Hearts’ second goal vs Celtic
The controversy around the build-up to Hearts’ second goal was discussed on Sky Sports Football (07/12/25). The corner that led to the goal came from a passage of play that shouldn’t have stood.
A through ball was played to Lawrence Shankland, who was clearly offside. Kasper Schmeichel saved his shot and the ball went out for a corner, which was then awarded to Hearts.
James McFadden explained that VAR is not permitted to intervene in situations like this unless the offside player actually scores. Had Shankland found the net, the incident would have been reviewed and the goal would have been disallowed.
While Hearts’ opener from Claudio Braga was onside and therefore legitimate, the same cannot be said for Oisin McEntee’s header, which came directly from that wrongly awarded corner.
Eilidh Barbour noted: “There’s a potential offside in the build-up that leads to the corner. But ultimately, VAR can’t check it.”
McFadden added:
“That’s just how the laws work. If Shankland scores, it’s checked. If he’s offside, it’s ruled out. But because it only results in a corner, VAR can’t intervene.”
McFadden urges calm surrounding Wilfried Nancy’s start
McFadden also moved to calm some of the noise after Nancy’s first game ended in defeat. Martin O’Neill had steadied the ship well, but Celtic needed their new permanent manager in place sooner rather than later, even if many fans wanted O’Neill to carry on.
McFadden pointed out that if O’Neill had stayed in charge and still lost to Hearts, there would have been criticism about delaying Nancy’s appointment.
He said:
“Even if Martin O’Neill was still in the dugout, Celtic could still have lost that game. And if they had, people would be asking why the new manager hasn’t started yet.”
He added that Nancy was always going to implement his preferred back-three system immediately. While Celtic’s players have the quality to adapt, the team’s balance wasn’t quite right, particularly with a left-footed defender operating on the right side of the back three.
“He wants an expansive style with centre-backs stepping into the game. I don’t think Trusty stepped out enough from the right. That’s not a criticism of him — he would be far more natural doing that on the left
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