Spain remembers O’Neill’s Celtic. Now his players must give supporters a fresh European performance to remember.

Martin O’Neill’s Celtic reunion with Celta Vigo has stirred an old memory in Spain. Newspaper AS has framed Thursday’s meeting as a chance for revenge, 24 years after his side eliminated the Galician club from the UEFA Cup.

That is the Spanish storyline. For me, the Celtic question is more demanding: can the team give supporters something new to celebrate?

I love the memories as much as anyone. However, I want this European night to produce a performance that stands on its own.

O’Neill’s Celtic history raises the stakes

There is something powerful about an opponent remembering your manager nearly a quarter of a century later. It speaks to the impression that O’Neill’s Celtic left beyond Scotland.

Yet that recognition also brings responsibility.

We should welcome the respect without confusing it with an advantage. History cannot track a runner, protect a lead or find a forward under pressure. Those jobs belong to the players taking the field now.

For O’Neill, the challenge is to turn that emotional connection into clear decisions. Celtic need a plan that gives the players confidence and survives the moments when the opposition take control.

Because those moments will come. Expecting European football to unfold entirely on our terms is wishful thinking.

Celtic must make belief visible

As a supporter, I can accept an opponent producing something exceptional. What frustrates me is watching Celtic make the evening harder through problems they should be able to address.

Loose passing invites pressure. Poor distances between players leave space. An isolated forward gives possession straight back. These are practical details, and getting them right gives ambition a foundation.

Therefore, I want to see composure alongside urgency. Move the ball with purpose. Support the player receiving it. Make the opposition defend facing their own goal.

Equally, when an attack breaks down, recover together. European credibility grows through those ordinary actions repeated under pressure.

The crowd deserves reasons to believe throughout the match. A committed tackle can provide one. So can a controlled passage of possession when the game threatens to become frantic.

A fresh chapter demands a response

There will always be affection for what O’Neill represents. Mine has never depended on pretending that every decision he makes is beyond question.

Respect and scrutiny belong together at Celtic. A manager with his standing understands the expectations that come with the job.

The wider leadership must also support those expectations with serious sporting ambition. However, Thursday’s immediate responsibility rests with the manager and his team.

Spain has supplied the revenge narrative. Celtic have the opportunity to supply the answer.

Give us a performance worth remembering for what happens now. That is how another chapter earns its place in the story.