The first domestic defeat under Brendan Rodgers was always going to come as a shock to Celtic and their supporters. The fact that it came so far into his reign as manager made it all the more noteworthy and although their unbeaten streak had started to strain and creak in recent months, nobody really expected it would end so explosively at Tynecastle on Sunday.
In an age of football that is covered with seemingly constantly updated stats, numbers and records that nobody really cares about, the Hoops’ 69 match unbeaten run is one that will stand the test of time and go down as one of the greatest achievements in Scottish football history.
However, in truth, the unbeaten run has masked what has been a difficult second season for Brendan Rodgers’ side so far. There are issues that need addressed by the manager, issues that perhaps should have been addressed by now, and now the streak is over there are no more hiding places for the players in the team who are out of form and lacking confidence.
Rather than being a blow to the Bhoys, the end of this run should be seen as an opportunity to hit the reset button and get back to focusing on the basics that made Celtic such a formidable force in the first place.
In many ways direct comparisons to last season are unfair on this team. First of all, it contradicts the assessment that last season was a once-in-a-lifetime achievement and secondly, while the season so far may not be hitting the heights of Rodgers’ first term in charge, the Hoops are still in a really strong position at the pinnacle of Scottish football.
Behind that big picture though, the facts are undeniable, Celtic right now look a shadow of what they are capable of and it’s frustrating for supporters that want to see constant improvement and progress. At the very least they want to see their favourite stars play to their capabilities and that’s rarely been the case in the first half of the season. In recent weeks there’s been further decline with defensive collapses that will always be seen as unacceptable regardless of the context.
It’s worth noting that this time last year Celtic saw a similar dip in form, but the difference is that results didn’t really suffer alongside the performance levels. The players seemed to dig in and ride the crest of the Rodgers wave, a team spirit that is absent at the moment. More points have been dropped in the Scottish Premiership so far in 2017/18 than the entirety of last season.
Did protecting the unbeaten run, which has been a constant talking point, become a burden for a team that is at its best playing with attacking swagger? Has the inevitable foe of successful teams, complacency, finally set in?
Rodgers certainly appeared to put less focus on league encounters this term with far more rotation in the team before big European matches this season than last year. Their biggest stars have been in an out of the team in an effort to produce their best form in the UEFA Champions League and to be fair to the Celtic boss, they have a tangible reward for their efforts in the form of knockout football after Christmas.
In recent weeks though that rotation has continued. For example, their best striker Moussa Dembele hasn’t started a league match for a month despite being fit and available for most of the matches since.
This Celtic team were at their best last season growing as a cohesive unit, with little change week-to-week in the starting eleven and little tinkering with tactical decisions. Somewhere along the way this season that’s changed and it has arguably cost them points.
It’s time for Brendan Rodgers to re-focus on his best eleven until the end of the month at least where they can regroup with rest during the winter break. With Aberdeen just two points behind and the two sides due to meet at the weekend, they simply can’t afford to drop more points.
Now the unbeaten run is over, it’s all about the reaction. It’s about getting back to the basics of what made this Celtic side fantastic and it’s about rebuilding the partnerships in the team that made them so impressive.
The path they take now will define their season and although the invincible chapter has now closed, the future holds great things if they remember what it means to battle for success and not just settle for the draws that, while contributing to an amazing unbeaten run, ultimately will put that success at risk.
