Mika Baur’s Celtic admission should force a serious discussion about leadership after another European lead disappeared at Parkhead.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the 2–1 defeat by Celta Vigo, the midfielder accepted that Celtic’s final half-hour had merited defeat. The broadcaster’s reaction coverage highlighted his assessment that Celtic had become passive.

When asked to explain the collapse, he said: “I cannot tell you, sorry.”

That answer, reported by FotMob, should concentrate minds throughout the football operation. If the players cannot explain the pattern, who is fixing it?

Mika Baur’s Celtic admission demands answers

Baur put Celtic ahead in the 47th minute. Javi Rodríguez then scored in the 68th and 71st minutes to overturn the advantage.

However, the important part of Baur’s assessment concerned what should happen after conceding: regain possession, keep the ball and interrupt the opposition’s momentum.

He was describing basic game management. Celtic failed to deliver it.

I can accept opponents producing quality. What infuriates me is watching one setback become an invitation for another.

A team needs a response it can trust: passing options, movement and players willing to take responsibility under pressure.

Where was Celtic’s response?

Callum McGregor’s experience makes him central to that discussion. As captain and a midfielder, he should help organise the response when control slips away.

Yet this cannot become an exercise in blaming one player. His teammates must offer options, while Martin O’Neill and his coaches must provide a structure that survives pressure.

Who receives the next pass? Where is the outlet? What changes when opponents start winning the second balls?

Those questions require rehearsed answers.

The response must begin on the training ground. Players need to recognise the same triggers, support the man in possession and understand when to slow the match down. Real confidence grows when everyone knows what happens next.

As our assessment of Celtic’s wider European decline argued, recruitment failures do not remove responsibility for coaching and organisation.

Honesty must lead to improvement

We have already challenged O’Neill’s explanations for Celtic’s European defeats. Baur’s comments give that debate a sharper focus.

I welcome his honesty. He identified a problem Celtic must address rather than simply pointing towards an unfortunate moment.

Now the manager, captain and squad must turn that recognition into something visible on the pitch.

Celtic need leadership when a game turns against them. Until they show it, another promising position will always feel horribly fragile.