Hoops boss calls on his men to roll up their sleeves
Neil Lennon has backed his players to bounce back from yesterday’s dismal Old Firm display.
And Celtic midfielder Callum Mcgregor admitted there was a lack of belief as they lost the game and ground in the title race to Rangers.
But Lennon is sure the title race is far from over.
He said: “It gives Rangers a lift. But it’s early in the season, and you can’t listen to all the noise outside.
“Can the players respond? Absolutely. They’ve done it before.
“But they can’t live on the past. This is the present, and we’ve got a title race on our hands and we have to roll out sleeves up and do better.
“I have no idea if these games will be vital. If they are, then we will have to make up for it over time.
“We’ve got a game in hand we have to win, and assess where we are from there.
“You can’t base everything on four games a season. You have to be consistent all year.
“We have to get our players back fit.
“Hopefully Ryan Christie will be available, and we’ll see how Odsonne Edouard is.
“I thought we lacked a bit of experience and were a little naive in some aspects.
“Mo Elyounoussi had a great
chance and should have scored. He had more time than he realised, and that would have made it 1-1.
“I thought we were all right, first-half, but then conceded another poor goal.
“You can examine it all you want. We should have done better, and it meant we were chasing the game.
“Rangers were comfortable at 2-0, and I didn’t think we looked like scoring.
“We didn’t get in behind them enough. We lacked a bit of penetration, and a bit of belief.
“We had big players missing, but we still have enough players out there to get something out of the game.
“There was a lack of quality in the final third.”
Mcgregor, who look tired after his exertions with the national team, admitted there was a lack of belief in the Celtic ranks.
He said: “I think at times that probably showed, yeah.
“We were missing quite a few key players, guys who play at the top end of the pitch who can make things happen for us, and provide that bit of magic.
“Sometimes when you are missing those key players, then subconsciously you do have that little doubt that shouldn’t be there.
“I thought we were well in the game in the first-half. We had a lot of possession, and created some openings.
“But we lost an early goal, and that was a big thing.
“We recovered fairly well, but the game just got away from us in the second half.
“We never showed enough quality from middle to front to try to break Rangers down.”
The 27-year-old knows those who normally cheer him on from the stands will be concerned.
Mcgregor went on: “The fans will be frustrated and, as players, we’re hugely disappointed.
“They have every right to point fingers, and we have to accept that because in these games, the bigger picture is never seen.
“There will be a massive reaction, and we have to deal with that.
“What I would say is that we have to stay calm, and we have to stay together.
“The sooner we can get the fans back into the stadiums too, the better, as they are a massive help to us.
“These games are massive, but they probably don’t define the title for you.
“We just need to draw on our experience, and hopefully by the end of the season, we’re standing with another title.”