Following defeat at the hands of Dundee United, Kris Boyd slammed two Celtic players he believes have been “terrible” this season.
O’Neill: Celtic must “reinvent” themselves after another defeat
Just when it looked as though they would continue their chase on Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership, defeat once again struck Celtic at the most frustrating time on Sunday.
Now, with seven games to, their title ambitions are dwindling by the second and Martin O’Neill has urged his side to “reinvent” themselves if they are to produce a shock comeback.
The Celtic boss told reporters: “I must admit, I don’t think there ever has been (wriggle room). But today is a setback. I don’t think it’s the end of it. I still think that we’re in it. But you’re probably right, I think we’d have to win the seven games.
“Really disappointing. So, yeah, we have to come back and try and get a bit of strength about ourselves and reinvent our character.
“I’ll have a look at the game. I’ll have a look at myself – which is, I think, as important as players looking at themselves – and see what I could have done. Some of you will say I could have done a lot, really, at the end of the day, after the second half.”
Just where the blame lies is the big question. It has been a disastrous season for all involved at Celtic Park, starting with the recruitment and managerial appointments.
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The fact that O’Neill was forced to return for the second time this season following Wilfried Nancy’s historically poor spell in charge just about sums it up.
And then there’s the case of Celtic’s recruitment. Aside from Benjamin Nygren, it’s hard to point out a signing who has truly stood out and Boyd alluded to that on Sunday.
Boyd slams “terrible” Celtic flops
Boyd didn’t hold back after the Dundee United defeat, slamming “terrible” Celtic flops Joel Mvuka and Michel Ange-Balikwisha as part of a scathing review of the Bhoys’ recruitment.
“They’ve spent money. They’ve spent on wingers. They’ve just not been good enough. I mean some of them… Balikwisha, where is he? Seriously, where is he?
“It’s a good job they didn’t spend money, because some of the players that have come in… Look at the guy who came on at Ibrox, (Joel) Mvuka. They wanted to spend £4/5million on him? Wow.
“They’re probably lucky he failed a medical and he’s only on loan. If they committed another £4/5million on him as well… Celtic have spent money but the signings have been terrible.”
As ruthless as his criticism was, it’s hard to argue against it. Mvuka is yet to even make an appearance in the Scottish Premiership, whilst Balikwisha is yet to score a single goal in 14 appearances despite how he stole headlines before arriving.
Big questions must be asked of those making the decisions at Parkhead and they must avoid a repeat this summer. With Hearts on their way to a title and Rangers much improved under Danny Rohl, Celtic are running the risk of falling further behind their rivals.
