Celtic captain Callum McGregor did not hold back in his criticism of his team's performance following a heavy 3-0 defeat to Rangers in the League Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Sunday.
The result ended Celtic's unbeaten domestic record for the season and handed their fierce rivals a comfortable victory in the Glasgow derby. According to McGregor, the gulf between the two sides was not simply about quality but about cohesion.
"You saw a team and you saw a team of individuals," McGregor said, reflecting on the contrast between Rangers' collective effort and Celtic's disjointed showing. He elaborated further, explaining that his side had failed to match Rangers' work rate and discipline off the ball.
"Rangers were a team and we looked like a team of individuals who wanted to do our own thing, play when we got the ball and not necessarily run when we don't have the ball," the midfielder said. He stressed that such an approach cannot succeed in a fixture as demanding as an Old Firm derby. "That's the one thing you can't do when you come here, is not run. You can't defend with six players, it's impossible."
The defeat represents the second damaging setback of the campaign for manager Martin O'Neill's squad. Celtic had previously suffered a stunning collapse in Champions League qualifying, surrendering a commanding 4-0 aggregate advantage against Austrian side LASK before crashing out of Europe's top competition.
McGregor acknowledged that the team's inconsistency has become a growing concern, and he called for immediate improvement given Celtic's hectic upcoming schedule. "We're trying to get the message to everyone that we have to be a team and we need to find a way to do that quickly because we lost a big game to LASK and lost another one today," he said.
Celtic now face a demanding run of fixtures, starting with their opening Europa League group match at home against Ferencvaros on Thursday at 20:00 BST. That game arrives just days before an even bigger test — a home Scottish Premiership clash against Rangers next weekend, which would mark McGregor's 50th appearance in the derby fixture.
The captain made clear that Celtic cannot afford to dwell on Sunday's disappointment, with two significant matches looming in quick succession. "We've put ourselves under pressure and we need to respond on Thursday and again on Sunday," McGregor added.
He also underlined the broader ambitions of the club, insisting that success in matches of this magnitude is non-negotiable if Celtic are to be considered among Scotland's elite sides this season. "If we want to be a good Celtic team, we need to win the big games. We've been bitty so far and we need to fix it," he said.
With back-to-back defeats in high-profile encounters, pressure is mounting on O'Neill and his players to demonstrate resilience and unity in the coming week. The Europa League opener against Ferencvaros offers an immediate opportunity to steady the ship, before attention turns once more to Rangers in what promises to be a heated Premiership derby at Celtic Park.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.