Explaining Celtic manager Nancy’s ‘unusual’ tactics

One of the most challenging tasks for any club is figuring out how to strike a balance between achieving desired outcomes in the short term and achieving long-term goals.

The Scottish champions selected Wilfried Nancy, the 2024 MLS Coach of the Year, who is renowned for his exciting, front-foot approach, after Martin O’Neill established the course at Celtic.

The Frenchman had four losses in the first four, but Sunday’s dramatic 3-1 victory over Aberdeen gave him some much-needed rest.

Nancy has a high-possession 3-4-2-1 system that he used when he was a young Celtic player.

Celtic have developed a 3-3-2 formation that features two central midfielders who are close to each other and three central defenders in possession.

Both attacking midfielders are positioned centrally, close to the striker, and both wing-backs remain high and wide. In the middle of the pitch, the attacking midfielders and the central midfielders form a box as a result.

Nancy purposefully chose to use position players who are versatile at Columbus Crew.

The team was able to play fluidly thanks to the team’s central defenders, Steven Moreira, Sean Zawadzki, and Malte Amundsen, who are comfortable at either full-back or midfield.

Although it has been questioned about Nancy’s early Celtic team selections, he will need to develop his skills over time.

The principles he likes to use in build-up play are revealed when we examine Nancy’s approach at Columbus Crew.

The right-back position of his, Moreira, moves into a midfield position unmarked, which is particularly interesting.

Once the players become more used to his methods, these unusual movements, which require versatility from players, will become a hallmark of Celtic under Nancy.

Asymmetrical play is not a thing that Nancy avoids. In this instance, there are eight players close by, with six of them on the left.

Passing should be simpler with little room for each player, which presents an unusual challenge for a defending team.

The opposition will press up the pitch as they advance the ball up the pitch into dangerous areas by building up with this many players so much.

Players are encouraged to attack the space that their team-mates have created for them by leaving their positions as a result of this shift in pace and smart, unusual movements.

In the final third of Nancy’s defense, central midfielders, and central defenders frequently make runs from deep into these gaps, and defensive markers typically follow the attacking players out of position.

Even if examples of Nancy’s attacking methods working as he would have hoped were rare in his early days in Glasgow, the analysis of those techniques should give hope to Celtic fans.

In their previous two games, Celtic have improved significantly, with the home win over Aberdeen and the defeat at Dundee United among the highlights.

They hit the post four times in a game against Aberdeen and had 71% of the ball, 31 shots, and an expected 4.53 goals tally.

These numbers are staggering even against a team with only 10 men, and it would be fair to say that they were only allowed to score three goals due to poor luck, excellent finishing, and excellent saves.

Under Nancy, Celtic’s attacking performances appear to be gradually improving.

Fans will need to be patient, though, because it takes time to create the connections that make these strategies effective.

Nancy encourages freedom for his players to express themselves, which has long-term benefits but short-term effects.

Nancy enjoys Nancy’s precise use of his sides to score goals.

He prefers to introduce players in the box to receive passes or cut-backs rather than focusing on crosses.

Due to the smallness of his first three league games, Celtic decided to put this to bed.

His players were looking for those extra passes to find team-mates in the box against Aberdeen, though.

Crosses have resulted in turnovers when this has not occurred, and Celtic have been more prone to counter-attacks with fewer players behind the ball.

Nancy directs Celtic to counter-press right away when they lose the ball. They have made an effort to do it with intensity, but when they don’t coordinate, gaps open up and teams can quickly access their backlines.

Their inability to defend set-pieces has been another issue.

Although it may take time to implement an improved defensive structure, Celtic’s squad appears to lack the skills to dominate both on the ground and in the air.

This could be due to replacing traditional centerbacks with more technical full-backs.

The decision to hire Nancy came from Celtic executives because they were aware of his game plan, which is a three-at-back system that puts pressure on the quarterback before the ball enters the opening.

How successful Nancy is in Glasgow will depend in large part on whether this works for Celtic, who play domestic football teams that sit back and block rather than press them.

His teams consist of players who are encouraged to rotate frequently, express freedom, and play one-twos while also attempting to attack diagonally.

Even if one of Celtic’s previous two games ended in defeat, it has worked well for them in the past for them, and there have also been more promising signs in that regard.

To bring the ideas that were successful at Columbus Crew to life, Celtic will need to work with him and make the signings.

However, there are high expectations for Celtic, and a change to this level will require some minor adjustments to attract both fans and players.