Wilfried Nancy answers Hearts title chase question as Celtic boss names one thing he will never do
The new Celtic gaffer managed his first win at the fifth time of asking against Aberdeen.
Wilfried Nancy may have been delighted with his much-needed Premiership victory over Aberdeen but the Celtic boss is refusing to get involved in title race chat.
Celtic’s 3-1 victory over Aberdeen was Nancy’s first after previously losing out to Hearts, Roma, St Mirren and Dundee United. After just four games, the pressure was building on him, particularly after The Saints defeat in the League Cup final. The win against The Dons wasn’t totally convincing as Jimmy Thelin’s men equalised in the second half despite being down to 10-men, but late goals from Kieran Tierney and James Forrest secured the three points.
During the interim spell of Martin O’Neill, Celtic caught up to Hearts after falling behind earlier on in the season, but since The Jambos’ 2-1 win at Parkhead earlier this month, Derek McInnes’ men have regathered momentum, winning three from three. Celtic currently sit six points behind Hearts in the Premiership table, with a game in hand.
‘I don’t chase anybody’
When Nancy was asked about the title race, he immediately shut down any talk of it. The Frenchman claimed he won’t chase anybody and that his Celtic side are looking at no one but themselves as the second half of the season commences.
After the Aberdeen game, he told Sky Sports: “I don't chase anybody. We chase our performance, we chase ourselves, the way we have to play and compete with ourself. This is what we can do now, and we see the standings later."
Next up for The Hoops are away trips to Livingston and Motherwell, before they host Rangers for the annual New Year-time Old Firm derby. As for Hearts they have a derby themselves to prepare for, as they head to Hibs on December 27th.
More like it from Hoops - Nancy
The Celtic boss went onto say that the Aberdeen performance is what he’s been looking for every game since he came in the door at Celtic Park. While the scoreline was only 3-1, on another day Celtic could’ve had more had it not been for their lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
He said the weekend’s win was ‘closer to what a Wilfried Nancy team should look like’ and a ‘deserved’ victory for his players. Nancy continued: “I have nothing to prove. I just have to work and show stuff. This is not me, this is the players. My job is to help the players connect, and be good on the pitch and to find a solution to help them. This is what we did and I am happy for them.
“I feel good for the players. I think that they deserve more wins and that didn't happen. You can see today, we hit the post five times - I have never seen that in my life. You see the resilience of the team. To hit the post and five times and then concede, it's not easy, but they showed a lot of grit."