Fortunes can change rapidly in Scottish football.
Sunday’s second Old Firm meeting of the season remains difficult to predict. The match takes place at Celtic Park, and O’Neill’s side will surely be expected to produce a reaction after their miserable experience at Ibrox last weekend.
Even so, their supporters have plenty of reasons to feel anxious. Celtic conceded five goals against LASK, endured a dreadful outing at Ibrox, and have now suffered another setback.
At times on Thursday, their display brought back memories of previous low points: the defeats by Cluj and Copenhagen in 2019 and 2020, when Bayo and Bolingoli were at the club, and the loss to Sparta Prague in 2020, when the team included Klimala, Ajeti, Duffy and Laxalt.
There were also echoes of the disappointments against Legia Warsaw, Salzburg and Maribor. Celtic lacked intensity, the jeers from the crowd grew louder, and the team appeared unable to find a solution.
After the game, O’Neill discussed the frustration, disappointment and mental impact of the result. He acknowledged that such difficult moments can hurt deeply and challenge a team’s determination. Although he vowed that Celtic would regroup before facing Rangers on Sunday, he sounded subdued and weary.
He identified several areas in which Celtic had fallen short, but offered little sense that he knew how to correct them. His post-match remarks reflected the performance itself: heavy, uninspired and deeply discouraging.
O’Neill has resolved many difficulties throughout his career, both during his successful first spell and after returning to a club in turmoil last season. He brought back stability and belief, qualities that have since disappeared.
His strong character restored Celtic’s competitive edge. Their football was not always attractive, but they became extremely difficult to defeat. No opponent managed to beat them during the closing stages of the title race.
That relentless determination was evident only recently, yet it now feels as though it belongs to a distant past.
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