Just 12 months ago, after a dreadful defeat at Kilmarnock saw Celtic fall at the first hurdle in the Premier Sports Cup, it was abundantly clear that the spark had already gone out with Brendan Rodgers returning to the club.
There would be no immediate continuation of the treble-winning machine that Rodgers had built during his first spell in Glasgow.
In the ensuing inquest, fans were left furious at the style of play and lack of quality signings. That mood continued for much of the season.
What a difference a year makes. Celtic have come out of the gates firing on all cylinders in the new season, with Sunday’s 3-1 win over Hibernian securing a place in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals.
They are top of the Premier League, having won their opening two games, and are playing much better football than at any time last season.
One bookmaker has already backed them to win the league this season. And not only that: given the current slump that Rangers are going through, Celtic are the big favourites to win the treble.
Rodgers is optimistic about his side’s European hopes this season, but Celtic have a lot to prove
Celtic stormed off the pitch against Hibs to advance to the League Cup quarter-finals.
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If they don’t win the league by a margin of at least a dozen points, as well as lift both domestic cups, they will have fallen short.
However, even though Celtic are in a better position now than they were 12 months ago, that will not be the barometer by which they are judged.
With the Champions League set to kick off next month, it will be their ability to make an impact in Europe that will determine whether or not they have truly improved on last year.
Rodgers was asked about this on Sunday afternoon, shortly after the dust had settled following a victory over Hibs that was far more comfortable than the 3-1 result suggests.
Asked about the need to strengthen the squad for these last two weeks of the transfer window, he replied: “I think this period is simple.
‘I said before the first game that the reality is that the team will not change too much.
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‘The boys on the team have to be ready to come in. It’s not complicated.
‘You don’t have games in midweek so you can keep your pace, momentum and flow, but we have to have energising players to come in.
“After the international break, the matches until March are intense. If we want to have the intensity in our game to maintain it, we will need a stronger team.
‘Yes, we have some areas that I would like to strengthen, but I can’t tell you.
“I don’t want to be in the Champions League just to participate. It has to be something more than that. The challenge is obviously huge, but I think we can make our mark.”
‘Now, with the different eight-match format, there are certain criteria that are needed to improve.
“Last year we weren’t that far off. If you look at some of the performance levels we had, especially at home, we were very close.
“Having the right level of players who can really help us will allow us to be competitive and not just participate in the competition.”
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As was the case during his first spell at Parkhead, Celtic are not paying Rodgers big money simply to sweep the SPFL every season.
Proving their ability to turn around years of utter failure in Europe will be their best test ahead of the new season. Everything Celtic do in this final fortnight of the transfer market will be seen through the prism of the Champions League.
In that sense, the squad is in a better position than it was 12 months ago. For a start, neither Nicolas Kuhn nor Adam Idah were part of last year’s Champions League squad.
Reo Hatate and Cameron Carter-Vickers are now fully fit again, having been plagued by injuries for much of last season.
So Celtic are stronger than they were in last season’s Champions League, although still not as strong as Rodgers would like. Both things can be true at the same time.
Yesterday it emerged that Brighton had made an official bid for Matt O’Riley. It seems to have become something of a saga, although it’s not necessarily Celtic’s fault.
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They have made it clear that they will not budge on their £25m valuation of the Danish international. That is Celtic’s prerogative, but an exit now appears closer.
How they replace their star midfielder will of course be pivotal to their aspirations both domestically and in Europe next season.
It is still too early to make a definitive judgement. Many things could still happen in these last two weeks of the transfer market.
But Celtic have been slow to settle at home. In signing players like Idah and Paulo Bernardo, they have only signed players who were already in the team last season.
The main reason fans are so confident of a runaway win in the domestic league is because while Celtic have remained largely stagnant, Rangers have fallen off a cliff and regressed beyond measure.
That said, there are still plenty of inactive players at Celtic. In the win over Hibs on Sunday, Rodgers brought on the likes of Luis Palma and Yang Hyun-jun.
Idah’s arrival was well received but very few see him as a European impact signing.
Gustaf Lagerbielke, Yuki Kobayashi, Tomoki Iwata and Mikey Johnston remain in a bloated squad.
Rodgers will be looking to cut costs before the window closes, while also adding at least two or three more players of genuine quality and substance.
He will try to bring in a quality centre-back, another midfielder and a winger who can play on the left. If he can make three quality signings in those areas, it will have been a window of opportunity in all aspects.
Last week he spoke about Celtic aiming higher in the market and trying to sign three players in the £6m bracket, rather than nine players for £2m each.
The outlay would still be £18m, but the club would have more quality at its disposal. Celtic should have opted for this model long ago instead of signing project players.
Although O’Riley (centre) will soon be gone, figures such as Gus Lagerbielke and Odin Holm are still very much a part of the mix.
But with £76m of cash reserves in the bank and another £40m in Champions League money this season, the club are in a position to equip Rodgers with the tools he needs.
Especially if another £25m is to be injected into the coffers with the sale of O’Riley seemingly drawing ever closer.
Celtic are stronger than they were 12 months ago. That is indisputable, but they still have a lot of work to do if they do not want to become cannon fodder for the big beasts of European football in the Champions League.
