Wilfried Nancy has become the first manager in Celtic’s history to lose his first two games.
But then again, not many Celtic managers’ first two games are against the league leaders in Hearts, and a European giant like Roma.
It’s quite the situation that Nancy finds himself in. He may have lost two big games already, but the biggest of his first week is yet to come.
Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final now feels like an absolutely vital game in Nancy getting his time in Glasgow off the ground.
And with such a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders, Stiliyan Petrov says he ‘feels sorry’ for the new boss.
Have the Celtic board set Wilfried Nancy up to fail?
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Stiliyan Petrov on Wilfried Nancy and the Celtic board
This wasn’t the initial plan for Nancy’s arrival at Celtic.
The club intended to complete the appointment during the last international break, but interim boss Martin O’Neill ended up taking charge of four more games as the wait dragged on.
READ MORE: Joe Hart gives urgent advice to Wilfried Nancy with brilliant Ange Postecoglou Celtic story
Stiliyan Petrov – Credit: TNT Sports
And speaking on TNT Sports post-match, Petrov made it clear that he felt the timing of the appointment was wrong.
He said: “Pre-match, when we were building up, we were talking about Wilfried Nancy’s appointment… I think it’s the wrong timing.
“I think it’s the wrong timing. And sometimes, as a board of directors, you have to go: ‘What is good for the club? What is good for the players? What are we striving to achieve?’
“What you have to achieve here is win titles. Win trophies. Play well in Europe. That’s what you have to do.
“Martin in Europe has given that confidence and comfortable time for the players to enjoy – and Wilfried Nancy… I kind of feel sorry for him, a little bit.
“He’s just been thrown in and told: ‘You have to win. You have to win now.’
“There’s so many questions after the first two games, so many. Style of play, attitude of the players, where the team is going, the decision that the manager has to make.
“Because now, Sunday becomes huge. He can’t put himself under that kind of pressure so early.”
Given the challenging timing of his start, how much of the blame does Wilfried Nancy take for his two defeats so far?
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Celtic’s Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren
It’s hard to overstate just how significant Celtic’s Premier Sports Cup final now is.
Celtic beat St Mirren last month, but in truth, they didn’t play well on the night. If they put in a similar performance, they’ll be taking a huge risk.
Callum McGregor scored the winner, and also scored in the semi-final against Rangers at Hampden. His Hampden experience will be vital.
Thursday may have rocked the team, but St Mirren aren’t Roma – this will be a totally different game.
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