When will Martin O'Neill begin to cut out all external factors and pick his best team?
We hear a lot about competition at Celtic. O'Neill has spoken about the competition between Sam Johnstone and Viljami Sinisalo, but that competition seems to be rigged.
At the top end of the pitch, Camilo Duran has proven himself the most dangerous and efficient in front of goal while playing centrally, but Kasper Hogh can do no wrong despite ineffective performances and repeated glaring misses in front of goal.
Sebastian Tounekti keeps getting opportunities on the left despite being safely out of form, and when will we see the holding midfield issues addressed? Mika Baur is largely playing well, but in bigger games, he cannot cope with the physicality needed to break up better opposing midfields, and Celtic are getting drowned in the middle.
The overriding theme is that O'Neill seems to have attached some level of importance to new signings, who can't seem to do too much wrong, and when issues arise, they are not dealt with in a ruthless manner.
Squad management is important, and keeping people onside is a big part of the game. O'Neill is a very good man-manager generally, which is what has kept him in the game even through the many changes of football.
But if Celtic are going to be successful, and especially beyond the Premiership, they are going to have to be more ruthless. If players play poorly, they need to come out of the team.
Dropping Hogh is not making an example of a player or sending some overarching message, it is simply dropping a player who is not playing well. That should be on the table for every player in this squad, and unless it is, we are not going to see this squad become winners.
There has to be competition and there has to be the threat of being replaced. O'Neill is not applying that concept currently, and he certainly isn't applying it fairly at the goalkeeper position or up top.
If Hogh is playing well, then sure, let Duran play out wide, but while Duran is the best option centrally, and he clearly is currently, then Hogh must start on the bench until he can prove he is the best option.
That is the nature of football, and at the highest level, it has to be more ruthless. If that upsets players, they do not belong at a winning club.
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