Chris Sutton has delivered a blunt assessment of Celtic’s latest setback, outlining where he believes the real responsibility lies after Wednesday night’s defeat to Dundee United.
Celtic made the trip to Tannadice hoping to steady the ship under new head coach Wilfried Nancy, but instead slipped to a damaging 2–1 loss. The result deepened the crisis surrounding the Frenchman, who has now suffered four defeats from four matches since being appointed on a permanent basis.
Nancy’s reign has already included losses to Hearts, Roma and St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final, with the Dundee United defeat extending Celtic’s losing streak to four games — their worst run in 47 years. The pressure has intensified rapidly on a manager who only took charge earlier this month.
Sutton shifts focus to the squad
While Nancy is firmly in the spotlight, Sutton believes the players deserve the bulk of the criticism. The former Celtic striker took to social media after the match and was scathing in his assessment of the squad’s quality.
Reacting to a missed chance by Daizen Maeda, Sutton suggested the problems run deeper than the dugout, pointing instead to recruitment failures and a lack of quality within the squad. He argued that Celtic currently resemble a side battling for third place rather than one capable of dominating domestically, adding that the issues stem from a disappointing summer transfer window.
Sutton also praised Dundee United and manager Jim Goodwin for their performance on the night, but warned that the situation at Celtic has become so serious that the club could soon be considering yet another managerial change.
A worrying start for Nancy
Nancy replaced Martin O’Neill with full awareness that his early fixtures would define his start, facing crucial matches across the league, Europe and domestic cup competition. Unfortunately for the Celtic boss, all of those tests have ended in defeat.
The trip to Dundee United was viewed as a chance to reset momentum, but a flat display allowed the underdogs to capitalise, leaving supporters questioning the club’s direction.
While adaptation periods are expected with a new manager, a four-game losing run — the worst in nearly half a century — is difficult to justify at Celtic.
Although the squad has clear weaknesses, there remains enough experience and talent to win games of this nature, which only sharpens the debate over where responsibility truly lies and what the club’s next move should be.
Leave a Reply