Towards the end of Sunday's Scottish Premiership defeat by Falkirk, Chris Sutton said it was looking like "one of those days" for Celtic.
asserted
it → say → Celtic
"Martin's not going to say it, of course, but the club is in regression, the team is in regression," Sutton stated on Sky Sports.
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Sutton → go → Sports
"They're just not a good functioning team at this moment in time.
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They → function → time
It's hard to see how Celtic are actually set up and it is a bit off the cuff.
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it → see → cuff
Goalkeeper Scott Bain excelled in goal for Falkirk against his former club - as O'Neill acknowledged - and Falkirk dug in when they needed to get over the line.
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they → excel → line
They are still four points clear, but some other stats paint a grim picture for Celtic.
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stats → paint → Celtic
Celtic had 14 corners, Falkirk had none.
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Falkirk → have → none
Former Falkirk manager Ian McCall was in accord with Sutton, and former Rangers striker Kris Boyd, who said he "couldn't see what Celtic were trying to do".
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Celtic → say → what
McCall pointed to age and injury taking its toll on on previously peerless performers.
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age → point → performers
"Carter-Vickers, Tierney, McGregor, Forrest - all of them for different reasons aren't quite what they were," he said on Sportsound.
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he → say → Sportsound
"That happens in football, it's cruel.
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it → happen → football
Whether it's injury or overuse in Callum McGregor's case, I would suggest.
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I → suggest → case
"It's not a vintage Celtic."
'It will be tough to bounce back from this'
Europe aside, Celtic's season had been rattling along relatively well.
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season → bounce → this
They had bounced back from League Cup and league losses to Rangers with a solid win at Motherwell, a resounding 7-1 victory at home to last season's runners-up Hearts, and a hard-fought 2-1 win from behind at Hibernian.
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They → bounce → Hibernian
Wednesday's 2-2 draw with Dundee United turned out to be a missed opportunity to extend their lead at the top and they now face the prospect of Rangers and, indeed, Hearts getting closer should they win their games in hand.
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they → turn → hand
Besiktas in the Europa League are next up, a home game Celtic really need to win to stand any chance of progress in that competition after starting with three defeats.
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Celtic → need → defeats
Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner said of O'Neill on BBC Radio Scotland that it's been "a brilliant weekend for Rangers", who won their League Cup semi-final with Aberdeen on Saturday.
"
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who → say → Saturday
They're in the cup final and Celtic getting beat allows them, when they play their game, their extra game, to close the gap.
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they → get → gap
"That then puts huge pressure on to Celtic with the European game coming up now in midweek also.
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game → put → midweek
That is going to be tough for them to bounce back from this.
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them → go → this
Of course, O'Neill has seen this all before - fairly recently, in fact.
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O'Neill → see → fact
He twice stepped back into the dugout in Celtic's hour of need last season and ultimately led them to a league and cup double.
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He → step → double
Indeed, sitting atop the Premiership after 12 games, he was quick to point out in his spiky post-match interview that Celtic are in a better position than at the same stage last season, when they were four points behind leaders Hearts.
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they → sit → Hearts
"I don't know whether [supporters] are angry," O'Neill told BBC Sport Scotland.
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O'Neill → know → ?
"Every single time that Celtic lose a game, people can be angry and frustrated.
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people → lose → game
We come under scrutiny and so we should because this is it, the club is used to winning.
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club → come → winning
O'Neill was also asked about the amount of changes that had been made to his team of late.
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that → ask → team
"Why would you not change the team?
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you → change → team
We have an abundance of games," he replied.
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he → have → games
"We're playing European football.
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We → play → football
We're trying to hold the Scottish flag up, so we have to change.
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we → try → flag
It's hard for the same players to play every single week.
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players → play → ?
'Plot has been lost' - what the fans say
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fans → lose → what
Sorry to say, but the plot has been lost.
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plot → say → ?
Then we take off our best two midfielders and leave an underperforming captain on the pitch.
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we → take → pitch
What is going on??
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What → go → ?
I think football has changed too much for O'Neill to be a modern manager.
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O'Neill → think → ?
I think he should take a back seat and allow a younger, more ambitious manager to take charge.
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manager → think → charge
It would be a shame for his legacy to be tarnished and that's what looks like will happen as no major changes look imminent.
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changes → tarnish → ?
Falkirk deserved the win.
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Falkirk → deserve → win
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
