Robin van Persie tore into his Feyenoord players after their alarming defeat at the weekend.
Feyenoord were beaten by NEC Nijmegen at De Kuip to hand the visitors their first win at that ground in 40 years.
It was a stark contrast to Celtic as Callum McGregor’s stoppage time winner against St Mirren leaves them four points behind Hearts after their first loss of the season against Aberdeen.
Van Persie was a successful player in his career and demands the best from his side, but his fury was evident for all to see in his post-match conference.
Photo by Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty ImagesRobin van Persie reacts to Nijmegen defeat
There was no hiding room for some of the Feyenoord squad when the legendary Dutch striker reacted to the game, including his captain Anis Hadj Moussa.
He even chose to substitute Moussa after becoming so frustrated, as well as calling out his defence.
Robin van Persie on Feyenoord defeat before Celtic clash
He wasn’t on. That had to do with a few moments in our defence where I expected more from him. You have to do that at all times. If a player can’t do that for whatever reason, you’re taken off. You just have to do that. Always. He is the man who could have made it 3-2, he also did that with the 2-1 (a fantastic pass to Bart Nieuwkoop, ed.), but you just have to do your job. I think we need to defend much better. Jordan Lotomba needs to stay much closer, and Wata, Gijs, and Anel need to coordinate that much better with each other. Ultimately, you just lose control of the game. That’s a real shame, especially after such a good first half.
His anger was amplified by the fact the 42-year-old slammed his fist on the table three times as the realisation of missing out on the chance to cut the gap to league leaders PSV Eindhoven was wasted.
Celtic will have to do something they have never done before vs Feyenoord
Just because the Dutch giants lost at the weekend, Celtic’s task to win in the Netherlands won’t be any easier.
Martin O’Neill is expected to be in charge for the game on Thursday and will have to overcome the fact that the Bhoys have never beaten Feyenoord away from Celtic Park.
This will only be the fourth competitive meeting between the two sides but they have only won one of the three games.
Their last encounter was the 2-1 win in December 2023 when Gustaf Lagerbielke scored a stoppage time winner.