Livingston v Celtic - Wilfried Nancy's Pre-Match Media Conference

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Q: Is someone like Kieran Tierney, someone who has got the ideal personality for this club?

Wilfried Nancy: “Everybody knows Kieran. I knew him before I came here. This is an important player for us. But after that, there are different kinds of personalities. Kieran is not a vocal leader. He likes to show on the pitch. Callum, he likes to show on the pitch, but also he’s a vocal leader. We have other players like this. So I think that the idea, when I talk about personality, is not only to be vocal. It’s to have the right attitude when this is difficult. It means that when we attack, if this is difficult, can we still show ourselves to ask for the ball? Can we still press if we need to press? Can we defend like crazy because this is the moment? This is all this kind of thing for me, that this is more about the attitude. And this is what I’m looking for.

Kieran Tierney of Celtic celebrates scoring during the Premier League match between Celtic and Aberdeen at Celtic Park on December 21, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Is Tierney someone who can thrive in your system?

Wilfried Nancy: “Yes, yes. He played this system already. Obviously, I discussed with him. I knew that he was able to do it. I think that there are also a few players, that they can do better in a certain position. But for the moment, I’m pleased with what I have. But I want to challenge them a little bit more because I think that they have more potential than they think.”

Q: Do you feel fitness-wise he’s getting to the level that he was at before?

Wilfried Nancy: “Yes, he’s been playing a few games now, 90 minutes. And in the past, it was only 60 minutes because they wanted to do that to help him to reach the 90 minutes. So I think that we work together on that. I think that, again, Kieran, he has a hope that you’re going to see that he can do more. I’m not surprised by what he did already. But I know that he can do more in terms of everything. So this is the idea, but fitness-wise too. The cycle is so crazy that we have to find the balance with the freshness. So that’s why the idea is not to give him 90 minutes all the time. It’s to see how he can be fresh at the good moment.”

Q: He’s scored a couple of goals for you since you came in. But you always want to push your players to do better and better.

Wilfried Nancy: “Yes. Because for me, this is the only way. They have to compete with themselves. So again, like I said, we won the game two days ago. But I’m going to be more demanding this week because I believe that we can do more. After that, it’s all about interaction, communication with players. They accept the challenge. I would not push a player if I see that he’s not able to accept the challenge. But I believe that when you give a challenge to someone, he enjoys it. So after that, it’s to find the balance with the support and so on.”

Q: Just finally back on the festive campaign. Does the manager get a day off on Christmas Day?

Wilfried Nancy: “Yes, yes, yes! My family is here, so I’m happy. I’m going to have a bit of time with them to go back fresh. Yes, I have a day off.”

Kieran Tierney and Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy are seen during the Premier League match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park on December 07, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Q: Pep Guardiola mentioned weighing players before and after Christmas, I guess it so busy you won’t have to get the scales out?

Wilfried Nancy: “I cannot change everything! We’ll see in the future. But this is something that we did with all my previous teams, yes. But now, there’s also too much information and too much stress. So I have to find my battle!”