Paul Lambert believes elite players should already understand their responsibilities on the pitch, with managers providing guidance and making adjustments.

The former Celtic captain offered his perspective when asked about playing under Martin O’Neill and how much tactical responsibility rests with the players.

Lambert was a key figure in O’Neill’s first Celtic side, captaining the team that reached the UEFA Cup final in Seville in 2003. His experience also includes winning the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund and managing in the Premier League.

Our Celtic manager page covers his record and background.

The question comes amid scrutiny of how the current Celtic side functions.

Back-to-back victories over Beşiktaş and Kilmarnock have improved the immediate picture. Five wins in 12 reads better than three in 10, although the questions about performances remain.

Asked what O’Neill gave him tactically, and how much responsibility he left with his players, Lambert told us exclusively via football betting site BetVictor that the players should already know their roles, with management making tweaks. 

“I’ve been around Europe and I watch teams train, and I see how they play and work. They know where to go, they know what to do, they know everything that’s going on.

“They might need one or two little tweaks with the coach, maybe analytically seeing things the opposition are doing. But once they’re on the field, they know where to go and play.

“Your upbringing should give you that grounding. That’s where you learn at a young age, where to go on the field and if the ball’s not right, where do you go?

“Do you tuck in, do you stay where you are? You start to learn all that at a really young age. Having been a manager myself, you have to work with the guys and guide them.

“But when you’re at the elite level, where your career should be, everybody knows what they’re doing and where to go. All the manager does is little tweaks.”

He’s put the responsibility on the players, which maybe isn’t very modern-day thinking.

“Martin wasn’t big on tactics. He would say the game hadn’t changed as much as people thought. It was still 11 versus 11, and he trusted good footballers to sort problems out on the pitch.