“It’s a battle, I’ll tell you that,” but Luke’s loving left wing back challenge

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The Celtic Star

·29 de diciembre de 2025

“It’s a battle, I’ll tell you that,” but Luke’s loving left wing back challenge

Luke McCowan has insisted the players are ‘working really hard’ to get used to Wilfried Nancy’s new 3-4-2-1 system following the Hoops’ 4-2 victory over Livingston at the weekend…

The Celtic huddle before the Scottish Premiership match between Livingston and Celtic on December 27, 2025. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

There are indications that understanding within the squad is beginning to improve after a brutal start to life under Nancy, with patterns of play gradually becoming clearer.

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However, that growing togetherness has not masked the defensive concerns, with Celtic having shipped 13 goals in just six matches since the change in management – a statistic that has highlighted a noticeable drop in defensive standards.

McCowan has acknowledged that he and his teammates are working hard to get it right during a packed schedule of games.

The Celtic midfielder said via Daily Record: “The players are working really hard on it, and that’s the main thing. We have to stick together as a group, keep pushing and fighting. If we do that, our qualities will shine through.”

“It’s always hard at this time of year when we have so many games and a few players out injured, but we need to keep fighting, keep believing. The most important thing is to win, which we did.”

“Conceding goals is not a concern if you go out and outscore teams, but you don’t want that to always be the case. You want to be as solid as you can. We need to gel together and make sure it doesn’t happen as much as it has been.

Luke McCowan of Celtic having a shot at goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Livingston and Celtic at Set Fare Arena on December 27, 2025. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)

“We have been conceding more goals than we are used to, and we need to get on top of that. We need to get on the training pitch, figure out what the problem is and fix it together.”

The 28 year-old has also opened up about playing in a LWB role since Nancy’s arrival.

“It’s a battle, I’ll tell you that,” he joked. “Livingston pinpointed me on that left side and put every header on me, which wasn’t great. Listen, I’m starting and playing, and that’s the most important thing. I just want to help the team and get the game time I wanted. We are winning, and the boys are doing well, so I just want to keep doing it.”

Next up for Celtic is a trip to Fir Park tomorrow night to face Motherwell which is followed by the third Glasgow Derby encounter of the season next Saturday.

“We can’t pass it up,” McCowan admitted. “December and January are when the most important games are in the league. We know the next performance has to be big against a good Motherwell side who have been in form. We need to keep on top of this and keep fighting.”

“Every game is vital. I’m sorry to be robotic, but every game you play for Celtic is pivotal. You’ve seen recently that when we went through a bad run, it was like the end of the world – ‘Hearts are on top’ and whatever. We just need to stay on top of our performances, keep fighting, and we will get there.”

“Of course, it would be good to go into next weekend level on points, but we need to focus on the performances.”

Conor Spence

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