Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy understands why his side were booed after losing 3-0 at home to Roma, but says he is not worried about a heavy defeat that has put their hopes of staying in the Europa League in jeopardy.
Nancy became the first Celtic manager to lose their opening two games as the Scottish champions were in disarray after just the opening 45 minutes, adding three goals at the break as Evan Ferguson added two goals to Ireland team-mate Liam Scales’ early own goal.
Supporters made their feelings clear at both half-time and full-time as they watched their side lose at home to Premier League leaders Hearts on Sunday.
“I respect the fans, they are really important to us,” he said. TNT Sports. “They are key and they know it. We play for them. That is clear.
“They don’t like the situation, so it shows. I know where we’re going. As of right now, the bottom line is this is not what we want.”
But despite the demoralizing defeat that left Celtic 24th in the standings, Nancy said his players’ second-half performance gave them plenty of encouragement to push forward.
“The reality is we cannot handle the intensity,” he added. “I really liked the second half. The response was good. We played a little closer between players to avoid pressure.
Evan Ferguson celebrates scoring Roma’s second goal against Celtic in the Europa League.
“I don’t want to talk about luck, but the first goal we gave away didn’t help. Coming in from behind wasn’t easy. The attitude was good.”
“The second half was good, but it wasn’t enough. I can’t say I didn’t try. I tried. I should have been able to connect more, but I couldn’t. The response was so good, I’m not worried.”
“This is the most important thing. They deserve at least one goal to see if the dynamic can change.
“We’ve already seen something good. The results aren’t what we want, but we’ve already seen something good.”
Celtic face St Mirren in a crucial League Cup final at Hampden Park on Sunday. This will be our first win this season.
“I hope the results change today,” Nancy said. “But the reality is that this is not the case.
“It’s a little bit difficult because I think our players deserved to score a bit more, but this is reality, the idea is to rest and prepare for the final.
“It wasn’t easy to prepare for the game at the time, knowing we were finalists and knowing we had a lot of games to play, but here’s the thing: the players’ belief is really strong and that’s the most important thing for me.”
Heart: Celtic’s situation breaks my heart
Former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart was even more pessimistic than Nancy as he watched his former side get demolished by Roma.
“It breaks my heart because I know how special this night can be,” Hart said. TNT Sports. “I lost my fair share of European nights but the intensity was always there.
“But there is no atmosphere and the players do not feel like they are performing to the best of their abilities.
“This place brings you magic and energy, but it doesn’t exist now.”
Hart criticized those running the club for failing to build domestic dominance and urged them to do more to unite fans with the team.
“This is an intelligent club. It’s not just about playing good football here,” Hart said. “The club needs to solve this problem, they need to bring support, players and management together.
“It feels like a soap opera. It’s very financially stable and has had a lot of success.
“Last season was a great season, but we couldn’t solve the problems and the gap widened further.
“This is a truly special football club when they come together and at the moment they are falling further and further apart.
“There needs to be a greater understanding of what everyone’s end goal is. Everyone on the pitch wants Celtic to succeed, but they can only succeed if they do it together.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way. It comes from right at the top. You can’t rest on previous successes. Football is constantly moving.
“I’m so lucky to be able to spend three years here. At the moment, Wilfried Nancy won’t have any idea what’s going on.”
‘Celtic were completely outclassed’
Analysis from Sky Sports News’ Adam Binnie from Celtic Park:
“Wilfrid Nancy’s difficult start as Celtic manager continues with two defeats in four days.
“His team were completely underwhelmed this evening. It was far from ideal preparation ahead of Sunday’s Scottish League Cup final against St Mirren.”
