Kieran Tierney is a fan of Wilfried Nancy’s new tactical approach at Celtic

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The Celtic Star

·9 December 2025

Kieran Tierney is a fan of Wilfried Nancy’s new tactical approach at Celtic

Kieran Tierney reckons it will take time for Celtic players to get used to Wilfred Nancy’s new system and admits that he is a fan of the new tactical approach…

Kieran Tierney and Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy are seen during the Premier League match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park on December 07, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic began life under Nancy with a 2-1 loss to Hearts on Sunday, a result that kept Hearts sitting at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

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Subtle rather than drastic approach discarded

In his initial interviews, Nancy hinted that his tactical tweaks at Celtic would be subtle rather than drastic, yet his lineup and approach against Derek McInnes’ side made it clear he intends to assert his ideas on the team immediately.

Callum McGregor and new Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Hearts at Celtic Park on December 07, 2025 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic setup in a 3-4-3 formation with three left-footed centre-backs playing in defence. It was Auston Trusty who suffered the most in the new-look system with the American playing a right-wing back role at times.

Despite the defeat, the Hoops need to pick themselves up ahead of Thursday’s crucial Europa League outing against Roma at Celtic Park.

Some moments of uncertainty

Speaking post-match on Sunday, Tierney said via Daily Record: “It’s only been a couple of days, so the manager’s just got a few messages across. It’ll be impossible to get every single detail across in a few days.

“I think the second half, you saw that a little bit. There were some moments of uncertainty, or boys even trying too hard to be in the right position.

3rd December 2025 Celtic Park, Scottish Premiership, Celtic versus Dundee – Ethan Hamilton of Dundee challenges for the ball with Callum McGregor of Celtic. Photo IMAGO David Young

“It’s just something that’s going to come with time. I don’t think we’re far away from it, because I think in the first half, there were so many positives. We’ll watch it back, and then we’ll watch the second half to see where we went wrong again, how we conceded the goals, and how we can get more chances and score goals.”

Tierney added: “I like it (the new manager’s system and vision) a lot, because I like building up in the three, and I’ve played centre-back before as well – the left centre-back role with Celtic, Arsenal and Scotland. So, it’s a position I’m used to. His ideas are good about creating overloads and finding the free man.

“In football, a lot of the things are similar. People get too caught up in formations. A lot of things are similar. It’s finding the free man, turning attacking football.”

It’s a results business

Callum McGregor and new Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy are seen during the Premier League match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park on December 07, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

It’s also a results business and nowhere is that more obvious that at Celtic where the demands are significantly higher in that regard than at most clubs and certainly every club over in MLS. It’s an entirely different set of demands on any incoming Celtic manager and it’s no different for Wilfried Nancy.

Conor Spence

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