Martin O’Neill reflects on Celtic defeat at Ibrox and demands response | OneFootball

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has revealed the message delivered to his players following Sunday’s bruising 3-0 Premier Sports Cup defeat against Rangers. Celtic arrived at Ibrox on the back of six successive Premiership victories, but their recent momentum counted for little as Rangers took control of the quarter-final and comfortably secured their place in the last four.

The Hoops struggled particularly in midfield, where Rangers dictated proceedings and prevented O’Neill’s side from taking the game to Rangers, instead offering little going forward through long balls.

“I said to the players, I’m not so sure whether Rangers beat us or we beat ourselves in that sense,” O’Neill told Celtic TV.

“You’ve got to put the work in, you’ve got to do it and you’ve got to do it every single week.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a home game against somebody who’s at the bottom of the league or away at Ibrox. You’ve just really got to put the work in.

“That has defined Celtic teams in the past, putting this work in. That’s what we did at the back end of last season.

“Hopefully, this will be the last time I mention it. We showed heart, grit and determination to fight back, having been beaten by Dundee United, to win the next seven games, including winning against Rangers and Hearts.

“Some of those matches, I think we won through sheer desire. So you’ve got to have that.

9th September 2026; McDiarmid Park, Scottish Premiership St Johnstone versus Celtic; Mika Baur of Celtic celebrates after he shoots and scores in the 52nd minute to make it 1-0 to Celtic. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

“There’s no point in having all the talent in the world if you don’t apply the determination and the will to win. Sometimes that defines players.

“I’ve said this to the players in the dressing room, and it doesn’t hold all the time, but sometimes you can make assumptions on players’ character about what they do on the pitch.”

There will, however, be little time for Celtic to dwell on their first major domestic setback of the campaign. Attention immediately turns to Thursday night and Europa League opener against Ferencváros, offering O’Neill and his players an early opportunity to produce the response demanded after Ibrox. Then, at the weekend, Rangers travel to Celtic Park on Sunday for a crucial Premiership encounter.

For Celtic, the challenge is now straightforward: ensure one damaging afternoon does not develop into anything more significant. Supporters will be expecting a reaction from the players and it is a chance to lift the mood, which has been low since the defeat to LASK in Linz.

The troubling aspect is that last season should have served as a wake up call to all around the club, an opportunity to reset. Instead, the same blunt reality remains that Celtic do not look to be coached to break teams down. Hopefully, Sunday was an off day but LASK and last season suggests that the management team are struggling to get a style of play out of the team.