GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 28: Celtic Manager Martin O'Neill during a Celtic MD-1 press conference at the Lennoxtown Training Centre, on January 28, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Martin O’Neill has made it clear that he won’t be changing anything in the Celtic system.
The Celtic boss gives very little away in media conferences but opened up today on the tactics that are drawing increasing criticism from supporters.
Like most managers O’Neill will claim to be cut off from the media. That used to simply involve avoiding newspapers, now there are a multitude of social media outlets providing the opportunity to share opinions.
Playing 4-3-3 has served Celtic well since Brendan Rodgers took over as manager in 2016.
That system has stood the test of time through changes in managers even though playing with one striker was a fairly alien concept.
During his first spell as manager O’Neill was strictly a 3-5-2 man. Three towering physical defenders, a bit of everything in midfield and led by two strikers in their prime.
From Henrik Larsson, John Hartson and Chris Sutton Celtic have descended into the current strike force…
Daizen Maeda hasn’t scored since January 10. Tomas Cvancara has scored twice, plus a crucial penalty. Junior Adamu has one goal since arriving in January with Ben Nygren the main source of goals.
O’NEILL ISN’T FOR TURNING
O’Neill has twice been drafted in this season but with some vital differences to the long established template.
Celtic don’t have a functioning midfield. Or wingers.
Last season we were spoiled by Nicolas Kuhn even if his stats fell through the floor post-Munich.
Yang Hyun-jun has notched some important goals but tends to put in one performance in every four matches.
Asked about a change in tactics by interim St Mirren boss Craig McLeish, O’Neill seemed very keen to get something out in the open.
QUESTION: What did you see from St Mirren at the weekend? It was maybe different to previously?
Well, first of all, I have to say, I think Stephen Robinson did brilliantly at the football club. They won a trophy and they were in there competing. It’s always been difficult, particularly the budgets that they would have and things like this. So he did wonderfully well and played, I thought, to St Mirren’s strengths, which is part of really good management at the end of it all.
I think that change in management, probably change in the manner in which they play. If I can compare it to us, when I’ve come in here, the way that the team has played for quite a number of years, they don’t really want to change too much.
Some things that I think, yeah, not sure, but just, I know, yeah, I’m not going to change it because the changes were too far through in the league to try and change things.
So I think that that would be good for some sort of comparison with St Mirren as well, to ensure the manager is taking some really good, positive things from what Stephen had done and trying to implement his own character into the team.
That seems fairly emphatic!
When O’Neill returned in January he dismantled the hair brained system, if you could call it that, installed by Wilfried Nancy.
With no traditional wingers and strikers struggling to score switching to a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 system would seem the obvious solution.
Either edging Ben Nygren forward or putting Maeda through the centre with Cvancara or Kelechi Iheanacho would provide an alternative.
But based on today’s comments it will be more of the same over the remainder of the season.
If those tactics deliver a run of wins O’Neill will have been completely justified in sticking with a system that not many fans see the logic in.
