Wilfried Nancy will know the value of wins at Celtic, having failed to get one in his first four games. Since then, he has now won twice on the trot. Nothing to write home about, but a step in the positive direction without a doubt. Many might raise their eyebrows at the opposition the victories have come against, but then again, you can only deal with what is in front of you.
The game against Livingston was far from perfect. Celtic conceded twice inside the first 10 minutes. But then, they managed to score the same number of times as well.
Two more goals and it was enough to seal a 4-2 win and all three points. Of course, it is worth mentioning that Livingston are at the bottom of the league table and Celtic should be winning against them a lot more easily. That being said, it is very clear that this is a work in progress.
Chris Sutton does not sound convinced about Celtic's defence under Nancy, but they have shown signs of improvement going forward. As the Englishman wrote:
"Celtic still look like they are going to ship lots of goals but some of the Wilfball in the final third was excellent. Very patchy at times but still a work in progress. Big win 3 points closer to Hearts"
Chris Sutton makes worrying Celtic claim despite win v Livingston
That is a pretty good assessment of what we saw against Livingston, and under the management of Nancy in general. There have been sparks going forward, but the Hoops don't look convincing at all when it comes to the defensive side of the game. Any decent team will have a field day.
Nancy might have won two games on the trot, and they will have taken some pressure off his shoulders for sure, but the manager still has a lot to prove. It is expected for Celtic to win against Aberdeen and Livingston.
All Celtic managers are ultimately measured in trophies. Nancy will have to deliver on that front if he is to keep the Parkhead job for any considerable length of time.
Obviously, we cannot ignore the need to improve the squad in the January transfer window, before making any assessment of Nancy's side. At the moment, he simply does not have the personnel to implement his style of football. One can criticise the Frenchman's lack of pragmatism. Then again, these conversations surely would have taken place before the club made the appointment.