Martin O'Neill is already highlighting the difficulties that await Celtic this season amid a disappointing summer so far. The Bhoys are off to a disappointing start this summer, yet to make any new signings and having frustrated fans with the overall management.
The Bhoys took weeks to appoint O'Neill and even longer to appoint his backroom staff in a situation that proved to be a minor controversy in itself.
O'Neill knows the scale of the task ahead
With no confidence injected from new signings so far this summer, O'Neill knows the tough task he and his side have ahead of them as they look to successfully defend the title.
“I think we’re in for a tough old time this season,” O’Neill said in an interview with CelticTV. “I think Rangers will get stronger, and Hearts won’t go down without a fight, there’s no question about that,”
“I have felt this (concern), I must admit, that every single time that we played the matches, you give the team the respect that they deserve.
“Teams, I thought, were getting closer to Celtic than perhaps ever before, certainly in recent times. So those are concerns, but I’ve had those concerns all the time, even when I managed 25 years ago. But here it just seems more apparent.”
Hearts the unknown and the prospect of Rangers
Hearts are going to be tough to predict this season, given they have lost Derek McInnes and Lawrence Shankland. Belgium manager of the year Wouter Vrancken, who worked wonders with a smaller outfit last season, and it will be interesting to see how he adapts to Scottish football.
Hearts are also going to have to recruit well to replace Shankland, who was a big part of their success.
As for Rangers, it is likely they will be significantly better this season, and Shankland will help. But the hiring of McInnes is the biggest factor.
The Gers have rarely turned to experienced managers who have already worked extensively in the SPFL, and we saw what McInnes can do in this league last season.
McInnes at Ibrox has a scary feel about it as far as Celtic are concerned, and while what the Hoops achieve will always come down to what they do themselves, you do look at Rangers this season and feel as though they are likely the main candidates when it comes to title rivals. Hearts may have too much change to overcome and this may be a transitional season for them.
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