Celtic’s Ibrox humiliation exposes a squad short on fight, quality and direction

Celtic’s shambolic 3-0 Ibrox defeat exposed a squad lacking fight, quality and direction as Rangers outthought and outfought them.

The absence of Celtic supporters at Ibrox was supposed to remove one of the usual complications from the Glasgow derby. Instead, it removed the last possible excuse. There was no away support to blame, no hostile section of the stadium to hide behind and no atmosphere-induced explanation for what followed.

Celtic were simply dreadful.

Rangers’ 3-0 League Cup victory was emphatic, deserved and, for long periods, embarrassingly comfortable. Dan Neil’s double and Kevin Kelsy’s first Rangers goal sent Derek McInnes into the semi-finals with his first derby victory, while Martin O’Neill’s Celtic side barely threatened to make the game competitive.

This was not merely a defeat. It was a shambolic performance from a team that looked short of courage, ideas and basic footballing quality.

Outfought and outthought

Rangers wanted the game more from the opening whistle. They pressed effectively, competed for every loose ball and attacked with purpose. Celtic, by contrast, looked timid, slow and one-dimensional.

The basics were missing. There was no sustained press, no urgency after losing possession and no real conviction in the challenge. Rangers drove forward hungry for goals; Celtic appeared content to allow the match to pass them by.

That was the most damning aspect of the afternoon. Celtic were not beaten by a brilliant Rangers team. They were beaten by a Rangers team that was better organised, more aggressive and far more committed to the cause. McInnes may be a bang average manager, but he completely outthought O’Neill.

Rangers’ man-for-man press unsettled Celtic repeatedly, while the visitors had no convincing response. They were too slow to play through it and lacked the movement, technical sharpness and bravery required to exploit the spaces it created.

The Celtic management team also seemed completely unprepared for Penrice moving into central areas. It was a tactical feature that offered Rangers an extra body in midfield and helped them control the game, yet Celtic never appeared to adjust. It was reminiscent of the way former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers previously used Greg Taylor to step inside, protect the defence and support the midfield.

Celtic saw the problem. They simply did nothing about it.

Players hiding from responsibility

There were very few Celtic players who can emerge from this with credit. Donovan at least showed some fight and personality, but too many others were passengers.

Tounekti was once again a man down. He has been given opportunity after opportunity, but his contribution remains negligible. He does not impose himself on games, he does not provide enough threat and he does not appear capable of carrying the responsibility expected of a Celtic player.

The sooner Yang returns from the Asian Cup and Jota comes back from injury, the better. Celtic desperately need players who can take possession, attack defenders and change the tempo of a game.

Callum McGregor’s performance was particularly concerning. The captain continues to look like a player being overtaken by the game. He tackles fresh air more often than the opposition, watches play unfold in front of him and spends too much time telling teammates what to do rather than leading by example.

This is not a criticism of McGregor’s past contribution. His service to Celtic is beyond question. But sentiment cannot dictate selection indefinitely. He is no longer performing to the standard required of a Celtic player, let alone its captain. He must be dropped. A captain cannot merely point and ball watch. He has to set the tone.

Wrong players, wrong roles

Sam Johnstone produced one of the worst Celtic goalkeeping displays in years. His handling was unconvincing, his presence offered no reassurance and the performance did little to challenge the perception that his fourth-choice status at Wolves is justified.

Sinisalo must be given the gloves again as soon as possible. Celtic cannot afford another performance in which their goalkeeper looks like a source of anxiety rather than security.

O’Neill’s continued persistence with Høgh as a target man is equally baffling. Høgh is a poacher, not a battering ram. He cannot reliably hold the ball up, outmuscle defenders or lead the line in the way Celtic are asking him to do. If Celtic want to use him effectively, they need to play the ball to his feet inside the penalty area. That, of course, requires service and Celtic provided almost none.

Duran was another example of a round peg being forced into a square hole. He is not a right winger. He is a striker, and playing him out of position appears to frustrate him while weakening Celtic’s attack. The team loses the best version of Duran and gains very little in return.

Nygren, meanwhile, looked like Maeda in the first half of last season - disinterested, detached and unhappy that a summer move failed to materialise. Whether that interpretation is fair or not, his performance suggested a player content to let the match pass him by.

A boardroom failure too - that old chectnut

The defeat also exposed the consequences of another poor recruitment window.

Celtic’s squad lacks depth in key areas, and that weakness cannot be blamed solely on the management team. The board once again failed to strengthen properly during the summer, left business too late and appeared to have no coherent recruitment strategy beyond contacting clubs in the final days of the transfer window to ask who might be available on loan.

That is not squad planning. It is panic buying.

The result is a team with too many players who are either unsuitable for the roles they have been given, not ready for the level required or simply not good enough to carry Celtic through high-pressure matches. When injuries and international absences remove a few important options, the weaknesses become impossible to disguise. The jersey is too big for many of them.

A warning before next weekend

The danger is that Celtic have another Glasgow derby in a week as Rangers travel to Celtic Park next weekend in the league, with Celtic still five points ahead in the Premiership. But after this performance, that advantage feels much less meaningful.

Rangers are hardly flawless themselves. Yet they looked a level or two above Celtic at Ibrox because they showed the hunger, structure and intensity that their rivals lacked.

Before then, Celtic face Ferencváros in the Europa League. If Celtic play with the same lack of energy, courage and tactical clarity, they will be on a hiding to nothing. The Hungarian side will not need to be exceptional; Celtic will simply have to repeat their own mistakes.

Rangers fought. Celtic folded. And unless O’Neill makes difficult decisions - including dropping established names, abandoning unsuitable formations and demanding far more from his players - this will not be remembered as one bad afternoon. It will be remembered as the afternoon Celtic’s weaknesses finally became impossible to ignore. If the fans can clearly see it, why can’t an experienced manager like O’Neill?