Celtic created a lot of chances against Hibernian but could not do the most important part, which is putting the ball in the back of the net. That is the reason why they now find themselves trailing Hearts in the Premiership title race after the first six matchdays. Of course, not many would have predicted this coming into the season.
Naturally, there is a lot of talk around Hearts and their title credentials. It has been a long time since any team other than Celtic or the Rangers won the Scottish league, or even came close to challenging the Glasgow giants.
That being said, the fact of the matter is that we are just six games into the league season. One cannot simply reach any judgments already. There is a long way to go and a lot of teams lose their form over the course of a 38-game marathon, even if the start well out of the gates.
Callum McGregor seems to be of that view as well, making a clear statement after seeing Celtic fall behind Hearts in the title race. As reported by the Edinburgh Evening News, the Celtic captain said:
"We’re six games in. Maybe at 36 games, you start looking at the table, but not at six games in. It’s such a long season and there is so much football to be played. We’re thinking about performances and getting up to speed.
“Although we didn’t win the game I’m sure if we play like that we’ll amass enough points to be where we want to be. They (Hearts) are six games in. If you win all six, you're top of the league. Anyone can get off to a good start. Aberdeen did it last year. If you win the games in front of you, you collect enough points."
Hearts fans won't like Celtic captain Callum McGregor's bold statement
McGregor has seen it all and done it all in Scottish football. So, he will have a very good idea of how things can play out over the course of a 38-game league campaign. He has crossed the finish line numerous times over the course of his career, the last four times as captain.
Aberdeen are the perfect example of how a team can lose their form over the course of a campaign. At the start of the 24/25 campaign, the Dons had looked like genuine title contenders as well. They made a brilliant start, with a draw against Celtic and a win over the Rangers as proof of their quality.
By the end of the campaign, they would finish fifth in the league table. Admittedly, they did win the Scottish Cup, incidentally defeating Celtic in the final. Right now, they sit bottom of the table with one point to their name.