Scott Allan Points to Midfield Physicality in Celtic Slump
Three defeats in eight days have left Celtic short on answers. The Scott Allan Celtic midfield verdict lands at an awkward time for Martin O’Neill, with the former Hoops player convinced a lack of physical strength through the centre has been exposed twice in quick succession.
Speaking in a Daily Record interview, Allan did not hold back.
The first win was a real statement from Rangers and gave them belief that, physically, they have got Celtic’s number. LASK did as well. I think Celtic are really struggling in the middle of the park. Ultimately, you can’t make yourself bigger or stronger.
Allan knows this club well. He won a Scottish Premiership title with Celtic under Ronny Deila in the 2015-16 season, so his read on this squad carries real weight with supporters. He went on to explain the physical mismatch he believes Celtic are facing.
So when you know that somebody is physically better than you, then what you do on the ball has to be so much better. You have to have a way of playing through that aggression and that pressure.
Abandoning the 4-3-3: How Rangers and LASK Exposed Hoops
Celtic have built their identity around a 4-3-3 shape, with patient build-up, quick ball to the wingers and a front three encouraged to create. Following the derby loss at Celtic Park, O’Neill’s side moved away from that principle entirely against a Rangers team set up in a 3-5-2.
Allan felt the switch was telling precisely because it went against everything supporters associate with Celtic. The patient build-up disappeared, along with the quick ball to the wingers and the licence for the front three to create. He argued the more direct approach against Rangers’ 3-5-2 brought no reward at all, neither in performance nor in result.
That defeat, at Celtic Park, was the third straight defeat against Rangers in eight days, with LASK also finding a way through in between. Going direct did not solve the physical mismatch Allan had already identified. It simply removed the passing game Celtic normally rely on to work around it.
Shooting Deficits and Lack of Belief Dissected
Allan’s assessment of the derby goes beyond shape. He believes Rangers were never truly stretched, and he put it bluntly.
Looking at the second half of the league game there, Rangers looked as if they were sitting in second gear.
Allan felt Rangers were never troubled by Celtic’s attack, and he pointed to the shots on target as proof. He believed Rangers were fortunate not to finish two or three goals further ahead, and he rated both derby meetings as comfortable for Rangers from start to finish.
It was not entirely bleak. There was still praise for Colby Donovan for his energy after coming off the bench, but isolated bright spots could not disguise a wider malaise that Allan links directly to O’Neill’s mood after the game.
Allan said he was not surprised to hear those comments from O’Neill, given the manager’s standing at the club and his right to feel that way after a defeat. Even so, he stressed that O’Neill remains Celtic’s manager, and supporters expect better performances. He sensed a genuine lack of belief, both among the players and around the stadium, that Celtic could fight their way back into the game, something he does not usually associate with this club. He added that the international break had arrived at a useful moment for clubs looking to work out where they go from here.
Huge October Fixtures Test O’Neill Response as Title Margin Narrows
The Scott Allan Celtic midfield question will not disappear before O’Neill’s side face one of the toughest runs of the season. Rangers now sit just two points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, and O’Neill briefly questioned his own future after the run of three defeats before the board offered its backing.
October brings little respite. Celtic travel to Motherwell and Hibs in the league, face Benfica away in Europe, and host both Hearts and Celta Vigo at Celtic Park. Each fixture is a chance to answer Allan’s central charge, that the middle of the park needs to be stronger, not just busier.
Supporters will judge O’Neill on those results. For now, Allan’s verdict stands as the clearest explanation yet for a difficult run that has put real pressure on the manager.
