Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has dismissed mentality concerns following a 3-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat at Ibrox, attributing the quarter-final exit to misplaced passes. Dan Neil scored twice and Kevin Kelsy added a third as Rangers eliminated their Glasgow rivals. The visitors struggled to maintain possession against a high-pressing domestic setup.
Defensive Pressure Forces Turnovers
O’Neill told the Daily Record that possession losses under defensive pressure were technical rather than psychological failures. “You keep talking about mentality, I’ll have to analyse it and see exactly whether (the loss was down to) mentality or not, I don’t know,” O’Neill said. “But what happens is when you play enough bad passes, then the mentality hits in.” Derek McInnes deployed a youthful starting lineup that successfully disrupted the opposition’s build-up play. Rangers forced critical midfield turnovers throughout the tie, exposing structural weaknesses that McInnes can replicate at Parkhead.
Parkhead Premiership Rematch Approaches
Speaking on expectations without away supporters, O’Neill referenced historical results as a learning opportunity. “I came here 26 years ago in November time and got mauled 5-1. We had a really good side and had beaten Rangers 6-2 a couple of months earlier and never lost another league game after that,” he added. “But at the end of the day we have got to learn from this and that’s the biggest thing. If we can learn, then we can do something about it.” Celtic host Rangers in the Premiership on Sunday 20 September.
