Celtic boss Neil Lennon lays down the law to dressing room in crisis meeting

Neil Lennon held a crisis meeting with his Celtic players yesterday.

The Hoops manager heads to Motherwell for a lunchtime league game under pressure following a succession of poor recent results.

After the latest, error-strewn 4-1 home defeat by Sparta Prague three days ago, he was sharply critical of the attitude of his side stating his intention to “change the culture” in the dressing room.

Part of that process was a special clear-the-air session to try to identify where things have been going wrong.

“We had a meeting, and we went through the game again – which is something I haven’t done for a long, long, time,” said Lennon.

“I wanted them to see it. We got a few points across that we wanted to make.

“We have to show a much better attitude, and apply ourselves a lot better to games.

“The level of performance against Sparta was unacceptable.

“We went through the game, and then at the end the players had their say. I had a bit of a say after the game on Thursday too.

“They are clear now on what is required.

“Listen, they are honest enough to know that it was a disappointing performance, considering the standards we have set over the years.

“We need to get our consistency back, whether it be from a physical playing point of view or mentally, switching back on.

“We have lost concentration at times. We got ragged in possession, which is really unlike us.

“We started the game quite well. The first 20 minutes was fine, and then we got very ragged with the ball.”

The exchanges left the Irishman feeling positive about the challenges ahead.

“It got the right response. I know what I’ve got in there,” he said.

“We’ve got to stay on point. We’ve been a bit inconsistent, and I think there’s been a bit of transition for some.

“Every season is not going to bring a big improvement.

“We had a great season last year, but we have plateaued a little bit.

“But there is more to come from the team, and hopefully that will start at Motherwell.”

The return for Kristoffer Ajer offers the Celtic manager a welcome chance to sort out the area of the team that has been giving him most problems – defence.

And he hinted he could be ready to rest Shane Duffy – the Republic of Ireland internationalist who has struggled since signing in the summer – for his own good.

“I will manage it the best way I see possible. Sometimes it’s not for public consumption,” he said.

“We have a duty of care to the player, whether he is struggling with confidence or not.

“That’s the same with every player.

“Shane seems to be under the spotlight quite a bit. That’s the nature of the game up here sometimes.

“You’ve got to show a bit of personality and character and come through it.

“I’m sure he will.

“Generally, we are not keeping as many clean sheets as I would like. Defensively we have to do better at set-plays, and be better as a unit.

“We were a little bit individualistic on Thursday, and we didn’t stay connected. That was half the problem.

“We showed a bit of character to get it back to 2-1. I thought we were looking good – and then we conceded a really poor third goal.”

"That's scandalous! Is he committed to the club?

"I'd fine him two weeks' wages for that…"

Celtic's Mohamed Elyounoussi was caught on his phone after coming off and @chris_sutton73 is not impressed. pic.twitter.com/DwhLzXG8ZQ

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 5, 2020

Lennon insists, though, that the issues are temporary, rather than something deep-rooted within the squad.

“There is a lot of work still to be done, but I don’t think there’s any need for them to lack confidence,” he said.

“They played great in Lille, and played well in the semi-final. So going into the Sparta game, the confidence was up.

“You could see a little bit of apprehension creeping into the game, for no reason whatsoever.

“We have to manage the game better in those moments.”

The Celtic manager has, meanwhile, stated Mohammed Elyounoussi will escape club sanctions after being caught by TV cameras, looking at his mobile phone in the stands, after being taken off during the Sparta game.

“There’s no issue. He has already came out and said he was just checking the results,” said Lennon.

“I will take his word for that. He is a very conscientious player, a great lad. So there is no fallout from that.”