For a plant to grow and eventually bear fruit, you first need to see some green shoots pushing up through the soil. Seven games into Wilfried Nancy’s time at Celtic, the ground looks dry and barren.
If back-to-back wins against Aberdeen and Livingston had given rise to a small wave of optimism among supporters of the Parkhead club then this wretched effort puts the Frenchman back where he was after suffering four straight losses at the outset of his tenure.
It’s one thing losing a football game. It was the way Celtic went down here that will have alarmed those who witnessed it and those who have put their faith in the former Columbus Crew manager.
Nancy’s side were outplayed and outfought throughout a chilly evening. The Celtic manager was given a tactical schooling by Jens Berthel Askou who exposed the folly of his set-up time and time again.
This game had been billed as El Passico, a clash between two sides with a liking for playing the game the way it should be played. So much for all of that.
Polished in everything they did, Motherwell were streets ahead of the Scottish champions.
It was another defeat for Wilfried Nancy, who has had a stuttering start to his Celtic tenure
Celtic were second best throughout the match to Motherwell, who deserved their victory
Ibrahim Said opened the scoring for Motherwell with a diving header in the first half
Not for the first time, the players Nancy put out looked completely ill-suited to the convoluted 3-4-3 system he’s trying to implement.
Celtic looked lost and confused, unconvincing on the front foot and vulnerable whenever they lost the ball.
Motherwell scored either side of the break through Ibrahim Said and Elliot Watt and could have had any number.
After not beating Celtic in 35 games in all competitions, Berthel Askou’s men cruised to a famous victory.
What a season they are enjoying at Fir Park under the impressive Dane. Celtic, meanwhile, are in danger of free-falling.
They arrived in Lanarkshire with ambitions of getting the big win which would have taken them top of the table. They departed, having lost for a 17th time in 2025, knowing that Rangers will draw level on points should they win at Parkhead on Saturday.
There was a point when Celtic were two goals down and the pattern of play felt more like pinball than football.
Nancy’s side had committed eight players into the final third of the pitch. Motherwell retreated in similar numbers.
The ball pinged and ricocheted off one leg then the next. Unable to escape the cluster of bodies in the centre of the pitch, it bounced and deflected off a few more before finally coming to rest in the keeper’s arms.
Elliot Watt doubled Motherwell’s lead after the break following some calamitous defending
An innovative tactical strategy to take Celtic to new heights under this manager? Or the kind of chaos ball more often seen in a school playground? Seven games into the Frenchman’s reign, it’s beginning to look like the latter.
The nerves and the unforced errors were apparent here right from the outset.
Benjamin Nygren looked like he was in a trance when he attempted a cross-field pass which was never on. Motherwell broke at pace. Said just ran out of gas when confronted by Auston Trusty in the penalty box. It was enough for the home fans to find their voices.
The manner of Motherwell’s opener was truly extraordinary, a ludicrous goal to lose at any level.
Tom Sparrow took a routine throw-in to Stephen O’Donnell. The defender must have been at least 30 yards from goal when he decided to go for a cross.
It should have been meat and drink for Celtic’s defence and their goalkeeper. In years gone by, teams wouldn’t have bothered wasting their time. Against this feeble back-line, though? Anything is possible.
Stationed seven yards out, Said had all the time he wanted. He calmly planted a header beyond Kasper Schmeichel.
It had taken just 14 minutes for Nancy’s hopes of a first clean sheet in seven matches to be shredded.
For a few minutes, Celtic were all over the place. They didn’t tackle, they couldn’t pass, they looked like they didn’t know what was going on. The basics of the game were beyond them.
Motherwell outfought and outplayed them, their slick passing giving them complete control of the contest. A second goal would not have been ill-deserved.
Lukas Fadinger should at least have worked Schmeichel, but took one touch too many.
Elijah Just sent a clever curling strike just beyond the far post. After Said won a ball he’d no right to, Johnny Koutroumbis warmed the Danes’ gloves with a low effort.
For those in the visiting end, it was a tough watch. Ralston continued to play like a right-back being asked to fill an alien role in a back-three. Reo Hatate seemed to be everywhere the ball had just been. Daizen Maeda simply could not get involved. It was a mess.
A pitiful first-half performance was summed up by Paulo Bernardo failing to clear the first man with a free-kick.
Bernardo, Maeda and Kieran Tierney were replaced at the break with Luke McCowan, Arne Engels and Shin Yamada thrown on. Truthfully, Nancy could have hooked anyone.
Shin’s first contribution was a typically weak effort into Calum Ward’s arms after being played in by Nygren.
Celtic’s desperation brought up bookings Trusty, Ralston and Hatate in short order. That would soon be the least of their worries.
It was a tremendous performance from the Fir Park side, who could have scored more goals
The second goal was simply a shambles from Celtic’s perspective. Schmeichel’s ball to Engels lacked pace and accuracy.
With the Belgian floundering, Just took the ball off his toe and his blocked effort fell for Watt, who thumped the ball past some desperate men on the Celtic line.
There were still 32 minutes to play, but there was already an air of resignation among the visiting fans.
There’s little faith in this sub-standard squad and the man who’s come in mid-season and decided to do it his way.
You suspect Motherwell could have had as many goals as they wanted. The excellent Just forced Schmeichel into a smart save.
Sub James Forrest gave the ball away cheaply. Callum Slattery will feel he should have drilled the ball away from the keeper.
Celtic’s hopes of forcing a grandstand finish were thwarted when Ward threw up his right arm to prevent Nygren’s curler find the top corner. It would have been more than they deserved.
