“This is the standard that we want in terms of the intensity,” Wilfried Nancy | OneFootball

Games are coming thick and fast for the new Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy and so far unfortunately so are defeats. That has to change at Hampden on Sunday as Celtic look to retain the Premier Sports Cup…

Back-to-back defeats at Celtic Park against Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday and Roma in the Europa League last night means that the Frenchman goes into Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup Final still searching for his first win and he’s going to go all out to get it at Hampden against St Mirren and with it will come his first silverware. Today Nancy was at Hampden to speak to the media ahead of the Final on Sunday afternoon. Here’s what was said…

Q: How is everyone after last night? Any fitness concerns or anything ahead of the final?

Wilfried Nancy: “No, for the moment, everything is okay. We had the starters, they did a bit of rest, and the other guys came out to train, but for the moment, everything is okay.

Wilfried Nancy, Head Coach of Celtic, shouts instructions during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD6 match between Celtic FC and AS Roma at Celtic Park on December 11, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: How do you look back on last night, now you’ve had some time to reflect?

Wilfried Nancy: “Like I said, the opposition was really good. I really like, despite the fact that we lost, that this is really good for us to play against a team like this because this is the standard that we want in terms of the intensity of the run, but also the aggression. I watched the game and obviously we had difficult moments, but we also had good moments, and for me this is really important because I believe totally in my players regarding what they can do, and so the idea now is to find resources to bounce back. But again, this game for me was important because it gives me the possibility to set the standard regarding what we want to achieve, and it was good to compare certain things. So now we move forward, we have a game as you know in two days, and this is the most important.”

Q: How do you feel going from that to a game where there’s a trophy on the line and the sort of pressure and expectation speaks for itself on an occasion like that?

Wilfried Nancy:  “To be honest, it’s not difficult to prepare the game, it’s a final, so in terms of motivation and stimulation, it’s going to be here, no doubt. So now knowing that we did good things and we struggled at certain things, it’s going to be easier for my players to focus on, to stay on the task regarding what we want to do to have a good performance. So we’re going to mix everything and to put a team out with fresh players and to go win this cup.”

The Premier Sports Cup. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star

Q: The pressure of a cup final speaks for itself; there is a trophy there. Do you feel an added pressure given that the fact the previous two games haven’t gone your way?

Wilfried Nancy:  “It doesn’t change. A final is a final, to be honest with you, as you know, so it’s not the same. Obviously, the fact that we didn’t win the last two games mentally could be, we can have a bit of uncertainty, I would say. But to be honest, we’re having a good discussion with the players and we know what we did well, we know what we need to improve, and everything is clear, and they are really focused on this game, so it doesn’t change too much regarding that.”

Q: Is it arguably the perfect, almost get-right game for you? You’ve had two really difficult matches to come in and start with such little time to prepare. You’ve got the opportunity to go out there and win silverware with your team in front of fans at the national stadium. It’s almost the perfect game after these two?

Wilfried Nancy:  “Yes, for sure. The context is that I stay positive and I see only the good things regarding the game, you know what we’re going to do. And this is not for me, this is for the club obviously, but this is more for the players. Because again, I know where we are, I know where we want to go and I know that, not the gap, but I know what we need to improve on. So now this is more for the players because again, they believe, not that they believe, but they deserve this win regarding all the changes and so on.”

Q: Is it the kind of thing you say is important for the players, important for the fans as well?

Wilfried Nancy:  “Yes, obviously. You know, like I told you, I’m going to repeat myself, the fans for me are the players. Because again, the way they are behind us, all over the world, everybody knows Celtic and the fans and the atmosphere, like I said. So for me, the fans, this is a no-brainer. So obviously, we want to win the trophy for them. They are so important, like I told you. I play for my players, but the fans for me, the connection and what they do every day, every game to come at the game, this is unbelievable. So that’s why they are part of the story for sure.”

Q: You managed in finals over in North America. How do you approach finals as a manager and what can you take from those big matches, bringing it into this one on Sunday?

Wilfried Nancy:  “Context is different.I played a few finals for the MLS Cup and it was in the United States at home, Columbus. And I was confident because of what we wanted to do. I didn’t know about the result, but it was so clear what we wanted to do that everything went well. And after that, I played a final in Mexico with a high altitude against Pachuca. The final of the Champions League. We lost and this one was not easy because it was difficult for the altitude and also we’d been sick, all the team. But again, context is different. Now it’s new. This is another culture. This is another country. This is another team. So again, with a lot of ability, I prepare my team to have the best performance possible and after that we’ll see.”

Celtic Supporters at Hampden Park during the 2024 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and theRangers. Photo Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star

Q: You mentioned the importance to the fans and to the players, but it is also important for you in order to create that connection with the fans. A manager that wins trophies, automatically the fans again get more on board and get more signed on to what you want to do. So is there that importance also for you personally to get this trophy over the line and just lift everyone?

Wilfried Nancy:  “For me, no. For my players, yes. And for the fans, yes. Because this, like I said, you start to know me now. Yes, I would like to win the trophy. I’m pretty sure that if we don’t win it, for sure it’s going to be difficult, you know, because when we lose, this is painful. But again, I am optimistic as a person, so hopefully we’re going to do it, and also it’s going to validate, you know, what we are doing. But if not, I don’t want to think about this because for the moment, I want to stay positive, and this is the way I think. And again, I’m going to have many, many other times to show, to do my stuff and to convince the fans that I am the right guy.”

Q: Can you just ask your thoughts on St Mirren? Obviously the last time you played was a very close game, a very sort of in-your-face kind of team. What are you expecting from Stephen Robinson’s side?

Wilfried Nancy:  “The two games that they played have been different. In the last game they were really aggressive, really well organised, so we struggled to score goals and they had also opportunities. So I expect a big game. You know, a final, it’s all about emotion. You know, this is how we can balance the emotion. Play with emotion, but also balance the emotion. I think that the team who is going to be able to be good on that will maximise their chance to win. But it’s going to be a tough game, as we know. But again, we are ready to accept this challenge and to do whatever it takes to win the game.”

Liam Scales of Celtic concedes an own goal, resulting in the first goal for AS Roma, during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD6 match between Celtic FC and AS Roma at Celtic Park on December 11, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: You said that Roma set the standards. It showed you the standards that Celtic need to get to. How close do you think their squad is to getting to those standards?

Wilfried Nancy:  “Again, I just came in. The standard that I want is clear. This is similar to Roma, you know, in terms of, like I said, intensity and so on. After that, the standard, we have it already. You know, because the desire to compete, the desire to train well, the desire to improve, this is the standard. The desire also to do what it takes to have good performance, we have it. After that, we have to be better in terms of execution. And we had good moments, and we struggled a bit. But again, what I can tell you is we are on the right track. Where we are, this is the right track. So this is not enough. Understand me well, I know that. But again, for one week, I can see good stuff. But we need also to improve on certain things, but it will come.”

Q: Given it’s the third game in a week, do you expect to have to make changes to freshen the team up?

Wilfried Nancy:  “I wanted to do more rotation, to be honest with you. But again, I am in between. You know, regarding that a few players didn’t play a lot also the last six games. So I need to balance that a little bit. First of all, it’s to watch properly the way they play. I know them, but the way they play. And after that, I will put the team that I think is the best to have a good performance against this team.”

Watch Wilfried Nancy’s media conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup Final below…

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