Another three points successfully taken on the road. Celtic’s away win at Pittodrie closed the gap in Hearts to five points and overtook Rangers into second place in the SPFL. It comes after the win in Stuttgart and that draw at Ibrox, a decent run of results overall. Next up is the Scottish Cup tie, back at Ibrox, but with a stronger fan backing.
Martin O’Neill will have learned a few important things from those games, and they don't make his job any easier. There is also a key learning point for Celtic fans to accept. It’s been a tough watch at times for everyone this season, and that’s unlikely to change any time soon.
O’Neill will have seen that his players have the strength and determination to draw upon, even if the overall quality is very thin. Grinding out wins, late goals, and at times only playing well in parts of the games have all been features of his side of late. Unless something clicks suddenly in terms of players or lineups, that seems to be the way of the season, and fans should prepare for more tense matches ahead.
Celtic squad issues remain, but some bright spots emerge
O’Neill will also have seen some of his January transfer window hopes evaporate. Araujo apart, the others haven’t done enough to warrant starting places. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may go on to prove otherwise, but he still needs fitness and to read the pace of the game better.
After the draw at Ibrox, it looked as though Daizen Maeda may be the best centre forward in the squad. At Aberdeen on Wednesday, he seemed to be on a mission to prove otherwise. His lacklustre shot, dragged far wide when through on goal, summed up his season. It is possible though that he may still yet be O’Neill’s best option in the role. Which undermines how ineffective the likes of Tomas Cvancaro and Junior Adamu have been so far.
There were a couple of bright spots and reassurance against Aberdeen. Benjamin Arthur’s late step in at centre back showed he was very capable and earned him the man of the match award. Viljami Sinisalo played well and had a great save in the second half that would seem beyond the current form of Kasper Schmeichel. And then the bewildering Benjamin Nygren added another goal to his tally, despite rarely looking the part in his overall play.
Buckle in for a bumpy ride with Celtic
While O’Neill can rely on those players, and a few others in his squad, he has far too many question marks. None of those helps him choose a settled starting XI. There’s no evidence of a preferred lineup; instead, it's making adjustments and hoping key players turn up each game.
Which is back to that fan lesson. O’Neill will be drawing on all of his experience to get the best he can, and maybe a bit more, from the squad. This is how it’s going to be for the rest of the season. Buckle in, it looks like a bumpy ride ahead, but let’s hope O’Neill can see it through successfully.