Celtic's Response After Derby Humiliation

Martin O'Neill has promised Celtic will “get ourselves right” as the Scottish champions try to shake off the sting of their derby humiliation and relaunch their season in Europe.

Celtic were dismantled 3-0 by Rangers in the Scottish League Cup at Ibrox on Sunday, a flat, timid display that has triggered the familiar Glasgow storm over the club’s direction and mentality. Now they must respond – and quickly.

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First comes Ferencvaros at Parkhead on Thursday in their Europa League opener. Then, barely time to breathe. Rangers again, this time in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, back in front of a Celtic Park crowd demanding a reaction.

In Glasgow, one defeat is a problem. Losing to Rangers is an inferno.

“Every game that Celtic lose, there's a crisis, and of course even bigger if you lose to Rangers, so we've done enough talking about it,” O'Neill said on Wednesday, facing the media with the air of a manager who knows exactly how this city works.

“Our players are disappointed with the performance, we could have done better, I think we accept that, and we just apply ourselves now again for the league fixtures.”

The message was clear: no excuses, no hiding. Just a demand to respond.

O'Neill, now in his second full-time spell in charge, did not sugarcoat the impact of Sunday’s collapse.

“We were disappointed ourselves, we disappointed the fans and now we just have to rise to the occasion,” he said.

“We've got two matches in which to do so before the break. Two big games for us, Ferencvaros will not be easy, but we've done it before, we'll get ourselves right.”

The scrutiny on this squad is intense, and for some of them, the Old Firm reality hit hard. Five of O’Neill’s starting XI at Ibrox were experiencing the fixture for the first time. They discovered quickly that this derby does not forgive hesitation.

“I think it was an eye opener to some of the newer lads,” the 74-year-old admitted. “We've got to find out about players, about whether they're capable of dealing with these games.

“Hopefully, over the course of time, they will be.”

Ferencvaros arrive as more than just a European footnote. They represent a test of character as much as quality, a chance for Celtic to show that the Ibrox defeat was a jolt, not a symptom.

Then comes Sunday, and Rangers again, with the noise louder, the stakes higher and the margin for error shrinking fast.

Celtic’s response over these next two games will tell O’Neill plenty. It might tell the rest of Scotland even more.