Celtic's emphatic 7-1 victory over Hearts last Sunday was expected to provide momentum for the season, but Thursday night's Europa League defeat to Celta Vigo has instead exposed the poverty of the squad at Martin O'Neill's disposal and a lack of work ethic among players for whom Celtic have paid millions of pounds.
The result has reinforced the argument that O'Neill is now, sadly but emphatically, insufficient for Celtic's needs, according to Mail Sport columnist Hugh Keevins, who had previously written that the manager's side were a busted flush in domestic and European football.
Manager's Post-Match Comments Under Scrutiny
O'Neill's appraisal of the defeat from Celta Vigo was described by Keevins as an insult to the intelligence. The manager claimed he could not have asked any more from his players and described the game as tight, comments that were "patently laughable" and a "fictitious measurement" respectively.
Celtic Park emptied long before the end of the game, with fans who had believed in a dramatic transformation after the Hearts result now outed as delusional. The Green Brigade and other like-minded fans deserted the game in protest over Celtic's indifference towards the modern world, with no structure and no strategy concerning the future.
Domestic Form Provides Some Comfort
Despite European struggles, O'Neill is two up in the three-game domestic series dubbed "Methuselah versus Modernity", having comprehensively beaten Motherwell and Hearts by out-manoeuvring head coaches Alfred Johansson and Wouter Vrancken while being decades older than both men.
A third consecutive win would come with victory at Easter Road this afternoon against a Hibs side under Marink Reedijk, who was still of primary age when O'Neill first became Celtic manager and won a Treble in his inaugural season 26 years ago.
Title Race Dynamics
Celtic will depart the capital, win, lose or draw, still on top of the table because Rangers dropped two points in Dundee last weekend. The forensics surrounding the noon kick-off in Leith suggest anything other than a win for Celtic would be, to use the description coined by Rangers' manager Derek McInnes, like a balloon popping.
It is the top side in the Premiership against the bottom team. Celtic have yet to lose a league match away from home while Hibs are chasing their first win at Easter Road since they defeated Kilmarnock last April, with eight home games yielding a single point since then.
