Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy will continue to experiment with team despite losing run

Wilfried Nancy will continue experimenting with his Celtic players and approach in a bid to find a winning formula.

The Frenchman has come under major criticism for dispensing with Celtic’s long-standing system and immediately introducing his own formation, with a back three at the base, before losing his first four games as manager.

But he is at pains to point out that he has not stuck to a rigid set-up without incorporating tactical tweaks or personnel changes.

Celtic had their best period of football under Nancy in the first half hour of Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat by Dundee United and the source of most of their attacking threat came through Daizen Maeda.

The Japan international was playing in a traditional, advanced left-wing role having started at centre-forward or in a more central advanced midfield position in previous games.

With Luke McCowan occupying the left wing-back role when Celtic defended and drifting into midfield when they were in possession, Maeda was given free rein to attack.

However, Celtic came under pressure towards the end of the first half and at the start of the second half especially, and saw Maeda’s early goal overturned in three minutes either side of the hour mark.

Nancy is badly losing his battle to win over the Celtic fans, and the apparent fragility of his system faces another test on Sunday against an Aberdeen team who have gone seven William Hill Premiership games unbeaten.

The Frenchman has presided over Celtic’s longest losing streak since 1978 and adding a fifth consecutive defeat would make it the club’s worst run since the 1952-53 season, when the Hoops finished eighth in the league, below the likes of East Fife and Clyde.

When asked if he was considering changes to avoid yet another loss, the 48-year-old said: “I get the question, but if you watch all the games that we play, all the time I adjusted something.

“And on Wednesday I think that what we did was interesting, with the way we attacked. And we had many opportunities. So the idea is not to stay still, we add improvements all the time.

“I have to change certain things to see players, but also see how I can adjust a few players, how I can mix players together. And I think that every game, I did that.

“My job is to still do it for the next game, and again, and again, and again. So that doesn’t change.”

During and after Wednesday’s Tannadice defeat, Nancy faced the wrath of a sizeable section of the travelling support, whose demand for boardroom change is being strengthened by the early impact of the appointment.

When asked about dealing with the criticism, the former Montreal and Columbus Crew head coach said: “For sure it’s difficult, because I know what we can do. I know what I can do also. But I know that as a coach, we are judged on results.

“That’s why this is difficult to accept personally, because I know that we are on the right track.

“And it’s difficult for me. But again, I’m going to take it. Like I said to the players, I’m going to be in front of you because I have to do it.

“The fans are not happy, I’m going to take that. But I believe also that we can do better. And I think on Wednesday we were close to having a really good performance, but we didn’t do better at the key moments.”