Celtic’s buildup to their home meeting with Beşiktaş was overshadowed by an unusual pre-match talking point, with Tom English saying the Scottish champions had apparently only just arrived at Parkhead. The discussion, aired during Sportsound, added another layer to an already sensitive European night for Celtic, where the margin for error is small and the scrutiny is immediate.
Martin O'Neill, speaking during the same Sportsound discussion, insisted Celtic still qualify. That view kept the focus on the bigger picture for the Scottish champions, even as questions were raised about their preparation and the way they approached the match.
Criticism of Celtic’s selection
English was blunt in his assessment of Celtic’s setup and performance. He said it looked like a manager “casting around in the dark,” adding that Celtic could not afford to drop games in Europe if they wanted to balance that competition with the league. His broader point was that the team needed to “put your best foot forward” rather than leave doubts about the selection.
He went further, saying Celtic appeared to be “just throwing names at a selection” and called the situation “wild.” In his view, the issue was not only the individual choices being made, but the lack of consistency behind them. As he put it, there was “no consistency in selection because there is no consistency in performance.”
Late arrival adds to the spotlight
The late arrival at Parkhead became part of the story because it fed into the sense that Celtic’s preparation was under the microscope before a key European fixture. English said they had been “supposedly running late... for a home game,” which only sharpened the criticism around the team’s overall professionalism on the night.
The match discussion also drew in broader European concerns. English warned that if Celtic continue on this trajectory, it would be Conference League teams coming to Celtic and getting wins. That comment captured the frustration around the team’s current level, as well as the pressure to respond quickly in Europe.
Elsewhere in the Sportsound discussion, Allan Preston focused on a different match, saying Thun would need more discipline in their formation. His warning that they did not want it to go “four, five, six” showed how quickly games can get away from a side if structure slips. It was a reminder that discipline matters at this level, whether the conversation is about Celtic’s European ambitions or the demands of another live match.
For Celtic, the key takeaway was straightforward: O'Neill still believes qualification is possible, but the questions around preparation, selection and performance will not disappear until the team answers them on the pitch.
