THE contrast between where Celtic were at this stage last season and where the Parkhead club are at the present moment in time could not be any more stark.
Callum McGregor and his team mates were applauded off the park by their jubilant supporters at the SMiSA Stadium on Sunday following their impressive display in a 3-0 win over St Mirren which sent them two points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership table again.
They are now overwhelming favourites to extend their four game winning run when they host Rangers in the East End of Glasgow this weekend.
It is a far cry from 12 months ago. They went into the opening derby match of the 2023/24 campaign against their city rivals at Ibrox with the boos and jeers of their fans ringing in their ears after being held to a 0-0 draw at home by St Johnstone.
That disappointing result, which came just six days after they had been knocked out of the League Cup by Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, put manager Brendan Rodgers, who had not been a universally popular choice to replace Ange Postecoglou, under intense pressure.
So why have Celtic come flying out of the starting blocks in such impressive fashion this time around?
Callum McGregor, who opened the scoring in the third minute of the St Mirren game when he netted from just outside the opposition area, believes an increased familiarity with Rodgers’ style of play has ensured the Scottish champions have avoided any of the slip-ups which they suffered last term.
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"We've started the season well,” he said. “When the team's playing well, everybody's connected and that makes everyone's job easier. I’ve chipped in a couple of goals, which is nice, but for me the main objective is to make sure the team's performing and the game looks the way we want it to look.
"I think the difference has just been time and people adapting to the system. It's a really high level system that we're playing, just really intricate the detail behind it. You need to know when to move, when to pass the ball, the speed of pass, the angle of pass. They seem like small details, but all these things are really, really important.
"When you get guys coming in, it takes them a while to get up to speed. That's probably where we were at maybe this point last season. Yes, we were getting results, but maybe we were not as slick as where we have been. That's just credit to the coaches, the manager, the players for taking on the information."
McGregor added: “We have also started games well this season and that helps set the tone for us going. Obviously, teams will have an idea of trying to stop us and maybe try and prolong the game at 0-0 for as long as they can.
"But if we can score early or impose our tempo early, then it means that teams need change and try and do something different, which gives us more time and space. So it's a pillar of the game that we want to continue to be good in, and that just comes from the sort of hunger and intensity that we want to play with. It may seem like we're in a really good moment, but in football, you want to try and maximize that for as long as you can.”
McGregor has seen important players depart Parkhead on numerous occasions during the 11 seasons he has spent in the first team at his boyhood heroes and he was always confident that he would the visitors could cope without him.
He is optimistic that summer signing Paulo Bernardo, who returned to the club he played for on loan last season when Benfica accepted a £3.5m bid at the start of this month, will fill the considerable void which O’Riley has left in the starting line-up and continue to dovetail well with him and Reo Hatate in the months ahead.
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"When you have two brilliant midfield players in there with you, it makes your job easier," he said. "Paulo is a very intelligent football player. He’s got loads to his game. He can tackle, he can defend, he can run, he can pass the ball, he can do everything. He also young and can develop.
"I really enjoyed playing in with him last year at times when he was in the team. Yes, we have lost Matty. But it was another strong midfield performance from all three of us.
"I thought Reo was sensational. So, yeah, we're still good in that area. Hopefully we can add maybe one or two more as well before the end of the week, and that gives us a really, such strong midfield part of the team as well."
Hatate was replaced by Francis Turley late on in the St Mirren match and McGregor was pleased to see the teenager from Northern Ireland, who caught the eye of his countryman Rodgers during pre-season, make his competitive debut for Celtic.
He is optimistic the young midfielder can continue to get game time even if more new recruits arrive at Parkhead before the transfer window closes on Friday night.
"You never quite know when these moments are going to happen for the young ones, but he's trained ever so well,” he said.
"I think he impressed very early on in pre-season. We took him on the America trip and again, he continued to grow with the group when the more senior guys, the internationals, came back. The boys really liked him and he stayed around.
"So he's a hugely talented young player. You could see when he came on that he understands the game. It was a brilliant moment for him and his family. I spoke to him after the game. I just said, ‘Congratulations, well played, many more to come’. I'm sure there will be if he continues to do the right things."
