Martin O’Neill has admitted that his decision to rest key players against Dundee may not have been his finest call, as Celtic scraped their way into the next round of the Scottish Cup.
30th November 2025; Easter Road, Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, Hibernian versus Celtic; Celtic interim manager Martin ONeill
The interim boss made several notable changes to his matchday squad, with Kasper Schmeichel left out as he received injections for an ongoing shoulder issue, while Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda were both rested.
Those decisions raised eyebrows as Celtic struggled badly at home against Dundee, needing a stoppage-time equaliser and extra time to avoid a shock exit. As the game unfolded, O’Neill openly questioned whether rotating so heavily had been the right approach.
Engels’ absence in midfield was keenly felt, with Paulo Bernardo struggling to impose himself before being withdrawn at half-time. Deadline day signing Joel Mvuka also endured a difficult debut and was hooked at the break.
Maeda’s omission had a knock-on effect elsewhere, with Yang Hyun-jun shifted across to the left to accommodate Mvuka on the right. The reshuffle disrupted Celtic’s rhythm, contributing to a flat first-half display that left the home side chasing the game.
After the match, O’Neill was refreshingly honest when reflecting on his selections, joking that the plan did not quite work as intended.
“Just rested, yeah. Just rested,” he said. “There were moments when I thought, hmm, not great decisions, you know!” [TCW]
Despite the struggles, Celtic eventually found a way through.
With the season entering a critical phase, the balance between managing workloads and maintaining momentum remains a delicate one, something Celtic were reminded of the hard way on a tense afternoon at Celtic Park.
