Under-fire Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy insisted his side were undone by “details” rather than a lack of quality or intent, after another damaging defeat that followed a now-familiar pattern: an impressive first half, followed by a decisive collapse after the break.
Nancy was adamant that Celtic’s opening 45 minutes against Rangers represented the level he believes his team can sustain.
“The first half was outstanding - offensively but defensively also,” he said.
“The commitment to win the ball back, the intensity that we put, we should have scored more goals.”
That sense of control, however, evaporated quickly in the second half - with Nancy pointing repeatedly to basic moments rather than tactical upheaval.
“In the second half we wanted to do the same and we conceded one goal on a throw-in,” he explained.
“After that, the second goal was on a throw-in and the third goal was also on a throw-in.
“This is the reality.”
For Nancy, the defeat was not about Rangers changing the game - but Celtic failing to manage key moments.
That explanation has become increasingly familiar.
Asked directly why his team continues to struggle to deliver a complete 90-minute performance, Nancy acknowledged the issue while resisting the idea that it stems from physical or emotional fragility.
“This is something that we are working on,” he said.
“It could be the consistency to keep the intensity, but for me, the intensity was there.”
Instead, the Celtic manager returned to execution.
“This is more about details,” he added. “Small details today killed us.”
The difficulty for Nancy is that this reasoning has accompanied most Celtic’s defeats since his appointment.
Strong passages of play have repeatedly failed to translate into results - a theme he openly recognised.
“I know that I repeat myself,” he admitted. “But this is the same story.”
Nancy was also pressed on the growing perception that opponents “figure Celtic out” at half-time - a criticism levelled repeatedly during this difficult run.
He rejected that notion outright.
“No, this is not an accusation,” he said. “We came back in the second half and we were on the game.”
Again, he returned to the same moments.
“We conceded on a throw-in,” Nancy said. “After that, emotionally and mentally, it could be difficult.”
Despite six defeats in eight matches, Nancy insisted he remains convinced he can still succeed - and that the title race is not beyond reach despite fan protests.
“Yes,” he replied when asked directly if he still believes he can succeed this season.
“Because I watch every game and I see many, many good things,” he added.
“The level that we had at a certain moment was really, really high.”