In this video
- Missing the Champions League was a disappointment, but O'Neill wants a decent Europa League start. Any changes will come down to how much players have played in seven games in 22 days.
- Every time Celtic lose there is a crisis, O'Neill says, and a bigger one when it is Rangers. The players accept they could have done better and now turn back to the league.
- He has told players throughout his career that defeat should hurt. Anyone smiling or joking an hour after a match has not treated it with the seriousness it deserves.
“It's strange that you're never asked about team selection when you win the games. You're never asked about whether the tactics are right or not when you win the matches.”
- The forward he is asked about is best at centre-forward or just off it, O'Neill says, but the team will not be planned around him. Henrik Larsson never asked where he would play, only to start.
- Defeat always concerns him, but he rejects the idea that the qualifier and Rangers were the two biggest tests. There is no point winning some games and losing others.
- A win is the aim but not the only acceptable result. Last season's first four games did not bring enough points, and he does not want the same again.
- Asked about the club's news about Danny McGrain, O'Neill calls him a super player and a legend. He got to know him when McGrain was running the reserves.
Martin O’Neill responds to questions over whether Celtic are in crisis following their defeat to Rangers, admitting the result hurt while insisting the focus must now turn to the games ahead.
O’Neill said every Celtic defeat brings talk of a crisis and that the reaction becomes even bigger after losing an Old Firm match. He accepted that the performance against Rangers was below the level expected, with both the players and supporters left disappointed.
The Celtic manager also stressed that defeat should hurt, arguing that players must take losses seriously before responding on the pitch. He believes some of the club’s newer players were given an eye-opening introduction to the intensity of the fixture, while also accepting that team selection and tactics are always questioned after a defeat.
Celtic now turn their attention to Europa League action against Ferencváros, with O’Neill looking for a response before another important domestic fixture.
