We have a genuine title race on our hands in Scotland.
On Sunday, in a match branded the biggest club game played on Scottish football for generations, it proved to be an afternoon of celebration for those bedecked in maroon.
Heart of Midlothian beat Celtic 3-1 at Tynecastle, a Dane Murray own goal breaking the deadlock in Edinburgh, only for Callum McGregor to equalise soon after, but quick-fire goals from Alexandros Kyziridis and then Lawrence Shankland secured the points.
This leaves Hearts eight points clear, with Celtic having now lost back-to-back league games, also beaten at Dundee a week earlier, just the second time Brendan Rodgers has tasted defeat in successive Premiership games, after December 2023, the second of which back then was also at the hands of the Jambos.
Falkirk will visit Parkhead on Wednesday, before all eyes will turn to next Sunday’s Glasgow derby at Hampden in the League Cup semi-finals, but which players played their way out of contention for that one with a less than impressive display in the capital?
Celtic's centre-back crisis
Last Thursday’s come from behind Europa League victory over Sturm Graz came at a serious cost, considering Kelechi Ịheanachọ and Alistair Johnston were both forced off with injuries in the first half, but the biggest blow of all was losing Cameron Carter-Vickers.
The American international has been a mainstay in the Celtic team since joining the club from Tottenham in 2021, but could be sidelined until March due to an achilles injury.
In his absence, Murray got the nod to start at Tynecastle, this only the 22-year-old’s 29th senior appearance, 20 of which have come for Queen’s Park.
Well, his inexperience was very much apparent when, with only eight minutes on the clock, he lashed a calamitous own goal into Kasper Schmeichel’s top corner.
Given this woeful error, on what was only his third start for Celtic, he may have to wait a little while for his fourth, with Auston Trusty and forgotten man Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who may as well be on Interpol’s missing persons list at this point, surely better options to partner Liam Scales going forward.
However, which other Celtic starter, who has a much higher profile and cost a hell of a lot more money, also did not impress in Gorgie?
Expensive Celtic signing could be back on the bench
Against both Sturm Graz and Hearts, having been part of the midfield trio to start the campaign, Benjamin Nygren has been deployed on the right-wing, largely due to a lack of alternative attacking options.
His header pinched the points in Europe on Thursday, while the Swede was denied a goal at the weekend on the cusp of half time by a smart save from Alexander Schwolow, possibly paying the price for his indecisiveness.
This positional move has opened up a midfield spot, with Arne Engels returning to the starting lineup, but he certainly has not grasped this opportunity with both hands, and the table below documents his miserable afternoon in Edinburgh.
Shots
1
5th
Key passes
Zero
13th
Big chances created
Zero
3rd
Accurate passes
41
4th
Passing accuracy %
82%
9th
Duels contested
11
7th
Duels won
4
13th
Possession lost
24
1st
Touches
77
4th
SofaScore rating
6
29th
As the table documents, the Belgian’s statistics at Tynecastle do not make for good reading.
While only Murray, Scales and Callum McGregor completed more passes than Engels, he did little with this possession, creating no chances, losing possession a total of 24 times, the most of any player on the pitch, while Kieran Tierney, the next highest Celtic man in that ranking, only did so on 16 occasions.
Engels arrived in Glasgow just over a year ago to sky-high expectations, considering he was replacing Matt O’Riley while costing a club-record fee of £11m.
After an up and down first campaign, the 22-year-old had only started three times this season prior to the last two fixtures, yet to score a goal, while both of his assists have been set-piece deliveries.
Also, central midfield is possibly the only area of Rodgers’ squad with genuine depth and competition for places.
Captain McGregor’s name is written in permanent marker on the team sheet, while Nygren, Reo Hatate, Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan are all also vying for minutes.
Having been given a chance, Engels may have played his way to the back of the queue for next Sunday’s Old Firm, so it would frankly be a surprise if he was included in the starting lineup for the visit of Falkirk on Wednesday.
Not Trusty: Celtic must replace Carter-Vickers with "exceptional" youngster
With Cameron Carter-Vickers set to be sidelined for 5 months, Rodgers must trust Celtic’s “exceptional” youngster, not Auston Trusty, to start.
ByBen Gray