Mohamed Elyounoussi urges Celtic squad to look in mirror, bin excuses, and repay Neil Lennon

Celtic attacker Mohamed Elyounoussi believes that he and his team-mates must be honest with themselves about their shortcomings, as he absolved Neil Lennon from blame for the club’s desperate predicament.
Celtic's Mohamed Elyounoussi celebrates making it 1-1 in the eventual 2-2 draw at Livingston on Wednesday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)Celtic's Mohamed Elyounoussi celebrates making it 1-1 in the eventual 2-2 draw at Livingston on Wednesday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)
Celtic's Mohamed Elyounoussi celebrates making it 1-1 in the eventual 2-2 draw at Livingston on Wednesday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

The Southampton loanee believes it is too easy to attribute Celtic’s myriad failures to the club’s manager. A man who seems incapable of surviving a four-game winless league run that has left the Parkhead side unlikely to finish within 10 points of champions-elect Rangers, far less overhaul them.

The latest of many defensive lapses condemned Lennon to what appeared a tenure-ending 2-2 draw at Livingston on Wednesday. Elyounoussi made a scoring return to the side. He did so following the 10-day isolation period forced on 13 of the squad, as well as Lennon and assistant John Kennedy, on being adjudged close contacts of Christopher Jullien after his Covid-19 positive test on the club’s return from their ill-judged Dubai winter training camp.

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Celtic have been hampered by all manner of issues arising from the global pandemic, but the 26-year-old believes introspection is required to recognise everything that has gone wrong as Rangers have established a 20-point advantage in the Premiership.

“Everyone has to take responsibility, look at themselves in the mirror. Everyone can improve, everyone can put more effort in,” he said. “But I think everyone is working hard in training. You can see that from the intensity in training. We haven’t done anything differently this year from last year. I think it is just the small margins which are against us. There have been too many draws, too many games where we have been up and have conceded late on. That is what killing us at the moment.

“Look, it hasn’t been a normal season with the pandemic and everything going around. There have been things outside football, like our isolation. But it is the same for everyone. So that is no excuse. We have to be honest here, we cannot look for excuses any more. Everyone needs to pick themselves up, dig in deeper and work hard. There is always the next game. We have to keep looking forward and approach every game with positivity.

“It is a team sport. It is always easy to talk about the manager or whatever. I feel bad for him, but he must be one of the strongest guys I have met, facing all this. One thing is for sure, he is working really hard. He is still pushing us to our limits. We need to respond, we need to give him even more. When I look to my left and to my right and see the players I have all around me I see a lot of quality. We just need to get it out on the pitch. I see it every day in training, I see it every day from the coaching staff, how much they push us. I think it is way too easy to just go for him and say that we need a change. I think he does a really good job with the motivational speeches he gives us before and after games. He is a strong guy and it is way too easy to blame him.”

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