Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has backed captain Callum McGregor's assessment of the team's recent struggles, agreeing that the side's lack of control in matches has been a concern.
After a 2-2 draw with Dundee United on Wednesday, McGregor described some passages of play as "a bit basketball" and suggested that deploying natural strikers Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran as wingers may be contributing to the issue. Celtic have managed only three wins in their last nine games.
When asked about McGregor's comments ahead of Sunday's match against Falkirk, O'Neill initially said he was unaware of them but then endorsed the diagnosis. "I totally agree that Callum Osmand is actually really a centre forward... And that Camilo Duran is really a centre forward, so the players are getting to know each other," O'Neill said.
Despite the dip in form, Celtic remain four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership and could extend that lead to seven with a victory over Falkirk. Their only league defeat this season came at home to Rangers, though they have lost all three Europa League group matches, prompting fan discontent and a partial boycott by the Green Brigade supporters' group.
Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers had earlier criticized the team's "too random" play after the Glasgow derby loss. O'Neill, however, expressed confidence that the squad will improve as more players reach full fitness, noting that several arrivals missed pre-season. "We need to hang in there, and at this minute I think we're hanging in," he added.
