Captain Callum McGregor was brutally honest after Celtic’s 3‑0 drubbing by Rangers in the Scottish League Cup quarter‑final, describing the side as a "team of individuals" rather than a cohesive unit. The Hoops arrived at Ibrox having gone unbeaten in seven domestic matches, but the encounter turned into a stark illustration of the gulf between a well‑organised side and a group that seemed to operate on its own whims.
"You saw a team and a team of individuals," McGregor said in the post‑match interview. "Rangers were a team – you could see it in the way they moved, the way they defended, the way they attacked. We, on the other hand, looked like a collection of players who only reacted when they had the ball.
We weren’t pressing, we weren’t covering each other, and you simply cannot defend with six players on the pitch." His comments left little room for excuses. Celtic’s defeat followed a painful Champions League qualifying exit at the hands of Austrian outfit LASK, where a 4‑0 first‑leg advantage evaporated in a 5‑4 aggregate loss.
The back‑to‑back setbacks have forced the club’s leadership to confront a deeper problem than a single poor result. McGregor emphasized the urgency of turning the tide ahead of two crucial fixtures: a Europa League home game against Ferencvaros on Thursday and a Scottish Premiership clash with Rangers at Celtic Park on Sunday, both of which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
"We’ve put ourselves under a lot of pressure," he explained. "We need to respond on Thursday, then again on Sunday, and we have to raise our level immediately." He added that the message to the squad is clear: Celtic must rediscover the identity of a true team, one that works collectively both with and without the ball. "We have to become the side we know we can be," McGregor insisted.
"We lost a big game against LASK and then another big game on Sunday – that’s unacceptable. There will be more big games throughout the season, and you have to win them if you want to be considered a good team." The captain reflected on Celtic’s traditional reputation for rising to the occasion in high‑stakes matches. "Historically we have always won the big games and turned up when it mattered," he said. "This season we have been inconsistent, we have been ‘bitty’ in games, and we need to fix that." Recalling the disappointment in Austria, McGregor warned that the situation could have been even worse if the scoreline had slipped further.
"You don’t want to be conceding four or five goals," he noted. "When the goals start coming in, I’m looking at Cameron Carter‑Vickers and Liam Scales and telling them ‘no more goals’. We have to tighten up our defence.
Of course we always want to get back into the game, even when we’re down 3‑0, but you have to understand the circumstances. A 3‑0 loss with good goals against you is one thing; a 4‑0 or 5‑0 defeat is a completely different ball game." The captain’s criticism was not merely a rant; it was a call to action for the entire Celtic camp. He highlighted the tactical deficiencies that were evident throughout the Rangers match: a lack of coordinated pressing, poor off‑the‑ball movement, and an inability to maintain a compact defensive shape. "You can’t defend with six players," he said, underscoring the importance of collective responsibility in modern football, where every outfield player is expected to contribute defensively when the team is out of possession.
Looking ahead, McGregor believes the upcoming fixtures will serve as a litmus test for the squad’s resolve. The Europa League tie against Ferencvaros offers a chance to rebuild confidence and demonstrate that Celtic can still compete on the continental stage.
The subsequent league encounter with Rangers, however, will be a true barometer of whether the team can translate any improvements into results against their fiercest rivals. In his closing remarks, the captain stressed that the path to redemption lies in unity and consistency. "If we want to be a good Celtic team, we have to win the big games," he asserted. "One thing we’ve always done is win big games and turn up when it mattered.
So far this season we’ve been fragmented, and we need to fix it quickly." McGregor’s candid assessment has sparked a conversation among fans and pundits alike about the state of Celtic’s squad and the steps needed to restore its winning pedigree. The message is clear: the club must move beyond a collection of talented individuals and forge a true team identity if it hopes to reclaim its place at the top of Scottish football and make a meaningful impact in Europe.