Do Celtic have 'big issues' or will next four days hush concerns?

Football in Glasgow's goldfish bowl has a habit of being unnecessarily dramatised, yet there is a case for saying a week in mid-September could have a defining impact on Celtic's season. After spectacularly failing the first of three tests during this mini crucial spell, alarm bells are ringing among sections of an unconvinced support. Martin O'Neill's side have the chance to right the wrongs of their sobering 3-0 Premier Sports Cup quarter-final defeat by Rangers at Ibrox when they host their city rivals in a rematch in the league on Sunday, but a Europa League opener with Ferencvaros comes first. Celtic fans are tiptoeing with trepidation into their first European action since their Champions League play-off collapse in Linz, a capitulation that has the same supporters questioning this team's big-game credentials, especially after Sunday. "It's strange you're never asked about team selection when you win games," O'Neill responded bullishly when asked about the outside noise. "We've been doing a fair amount of winning domestically now for quite some considerable time and we've won our league games so far. "It's another big test for us on Sunday, obviously, but it's amazing the number of times you're not questioned when you've won." McGregor laments Celtic's 'team of individuals' Celtic & Scotland legend McGrain diagnosed with Alzheimer's Visit our Celtic page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Why Celtic fans still need convincing In short: the aforementioned big-game results this season and the performance level under O'Neill since January. The 74-year-old's remit last term was to end a chaotic, rollercoaster campaign on a high after the Wilfried Nancy debacle. He absolutely did that, winning the Scottish Premiership title and Scottish Cup. Celtic fans spent the aftermath of that double triumph torn over whether they wanted to watch their legendary manager head off into the sunset with two medals round his neck or have him lead the team into a fresh season. Even O'Neill was unsure . One thing supporters were united on, though, was wanting to see overdue progress in Europe and a better product on the pitch. It seems they are still waiting for that. There will be fans of rival clubs who will view those wishes as greed, given Celtic still continue to dominate domestically. However, supporters of the Parkhead side have spent the past decade being conditioned into watching their team clean up trophies while still delivering dominant, free-flowing football, hence the demand is there. O'Neill and his staff were largely given a pass last term during a season of intense turbulence. Fury was mostly directed towards the club's hierarchy, but the manager and his backroom team are now not immune from scrutiny. The Celtic boss's team selection has been questioned by fans and pundits, including one of his former players, Chris Sutton, in the wake of an abject derby display. Are Sutton's 'great concerns' justified? [SNS] Below-par showings were forgiven last season as Celtic simply just had to get by to stay in touch at the top before eventually leapfrogging Heart of Midlothian on the final day with a seventh successive league victory. That Premiership-winning streak has been extended to 13 games following six straight victories to start the campaign, but concerns about performance level remain. Four of those six wins have been by a one-goal margin. Twelve goals over three wins at Kilmarnock, Dundee United and in the first leg of the Champions League play-off against LASK sent an ominous warning to Celtic's domestic rivals amid a period of high spending, particularly in forward areas. Camilo Duran has been the standout summer recruit so far with six goals and three assists in 10 appearances, while record signing Kasper Hogh and fellow big-money arrival Haissem Hassan are yet to fully settle. Sutton said his old club have been "flat-track bullies" by "beating the teams you expect them to beat", but the collapse in Austria, plus Sunday's bruising loss, has highlighted glaring deficiencies. Even captain Callum McGregor lamented Celtic's "team of individuals" after the weekend defeat at Ibrox. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club , former striker Sutton also expressed his "great concerns" for O'Neill's men and said they have "big issues" after a "lightweight" midfield was "run all over" by Rangers. Celtic have struggled to build up play against coherent pressing teams, which results in opposition sides being offered too much encouragement when the ball turns over. They faced a whopping 60 shots across both legs with LASK. Forty of them came in a mess of a second leg. In the Premiership alone this season, they have faced 64 attempts, the same number as Hearts and six more than Rangers. Over just six games, that tally already makes up almost a quarter of the total they faced in the entirety of the 2024-25 league-winning campaign under Brendan Rodgers. That said, in comparison to last term, which was overseen by Rodgers, Nancy and O'Neill, Celtic's Premiership numbers show they are currently averaging a far better goal concession rate while scoring and shooting more. Come Sunday, though, the most crucial statistic could be in the points column. With a rapid rematch against Rangers offering the chance to move eight points clear of their city rivals after a test against European-level opposition, the next four days will at least be mood-shifting. Whether that is to O'Neill's benefit remains unclear.