Celtic's Defining Week: Martin O’Neill's Call to Rise Above

Martin O’Neill wants his Celtic players to carry the sting of Ibrox with them into a defining week, not bury it.

Beaten 3-0 by Rangers on Sunday, bruised in the scoreline and in reputation, Celtic now walk straight back into the fire: European football on Thursday, another Glasgow derby at Celtic Park on Sunday. There is no soft landing, and O’Neill has no interest in pretending otherwise.

For him, the pain is part of the job description.

“We’ve had the setback on Sunday, something that you have to, first of all, look at it,” he told Celtic Player. “Then you have to hurt a bit. You have to hurt a lot, I think.

“That’s the way that I spent my career. I probably overindulged in the hurting aspect of the game, but the games have to hurt you both as a player and as a manager.

“After that, then you go and rise above it again. That defines you as much as anything else.”

Those words set the tone. No sugar-coating. No excuses. A derby defeat of that scale is meant to linger in the legs and in the mind, and O’Neill wants that raw edge to drive the response as Celtic step onto the European stage.

A pivotal week, then a pause

The schedule gives Celtic no time to wallow, but it does offer a clear marker: two huge matches, then an international break and a chance to breathe.

“A big game coming up on Thursday, a big, big game on Sunday, then an international break,” O’Neill said. “And it gives you a chance for the non-international players to take stock of what’s happened and say, well, listen, what can I do?

“What can I do better? What can I do now to help the team? What can I do to help myself? Obviously, if you can do those things, then you’re going to help the club.”

That’s the challenge laid down to those who will stay behind at Lennoxtown while team-mates fly off with their countries. No hiding in the shadows, no assumption that the storm will pass on its own. Reflection, then action.

A word for a Celtic great

Before he dug into the football, O’Neill paused to speak about a man who helped shape the club’s identity long before this current squad pulled on the shirt.

News of Danny McGrain’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis has hit Celtic hard. O’Neill worked alongside the legendary full-back during his first spell in charge and his respect for McGrain, both as a player and a person, runs deep.

“Danny was here at Celtic working with the reserves when I came here in my first spell, but just a phenomenal footballer and a really great character,” O’Neill said.

“He was just a brilliant player, a great defender, and certainly going forward, he could cause havoc.”

In a week dominated by the fallout from Ibrox and the looming tests ahead, that tribute cut through. It was a reminder of the standards that built the club and the type of character O’Neill still demands.

Eyes on Europe, then Rangers again

Now comes the response. Celtic step into Europe on Thursday with the Ibrox result still echoing, and O’Neill knows the performance cannot drift.

“It’d be nice to get off to a decent start,” he said. “It won’t be easy. Nothing is, I don’t think. Nor should it be, really.

“At the end of the day, it’s a European game. Hopefully, we can be up for the game and be ready for the game and then after that, you can concentrate then on Sunday.”

First, a European night that has to steady the ship. Then Rangers again, this time in the east end of Glasgow, with a home crowd demanding a reaction.

Hurt, then rise above it. O’Neill has set the terms. Now it’s down to his players to decide what this week says about them – and about Celtic’s season.