Davie Hay: Celtic hitting all the right notes as they prepare for Treble battle

They have been in good form throughout January but this is where talk of a Treble really does start to intensify.

Ross County on Sunday at Hampden provide the first challenge for Celtic to take a significant step towards that by getting themselves into the final of the League Cup and there have been enough warnings against Highland opposition over the last decade or so to ensure that it is a game they will be treating with respect.

Ross County have had a decent season but you would have to think that Celtic are capable of putting in another decent shift and getting to the final.

Having watched them in recent weeks I have been impressed with the way that they have played and although you could call into question the level of opposition they have been up against as they have been banging in the goals, I do think you have to appreciate that they have raised the bar a little.

The challenge – and one which they have struggled with at times this season – is making sure that it is a consistent level of performance.

If they can achieve that – and they should – then they can consider themselves in with a right good chance of getting the Treble.

The thing that I would attribute the rise in performance levels to is the fact that there have been players coming back from injury, and coming into form which has created a number of positions where there is genuine competition for places.

Gary Mackay-Steven plays in the type of position where players always rely on confidence to be at their best but both he and Stuart Armstrong are showing the kind of form that they did when they first arrived at the club this time a year ago.

With James Forrest also back in and Callum McGregor playing well in an advanced forward role, there has been a directness about Celtic – and no-one can criticise the manner in which they have been clocking up the goals.

But the big thing for me which augurs well as we start to head into the business end of the season is that they are not just creating lots of chances throughout games, they always have a look about being able to score them.

There is a hunger about them and a confidence about their play.

WITH Charlie Mulgrew and Scott Brown also set to come back in over the coming weeks, Ronny Deila will have the kind of selection problem that always seems to keep everyone on their toes.

You would expect that Brown’s standing is such that he might come straight back into the team – but there are no guarantees.

The same goes with Mulgrew who has had a difficult season that has been repeatedly disrupted by injury problems.

But the main thing has been that, after what was a difficult December, there is a stability and balance about Celtic now.

Kieran Tierney seems to be edging the fight for the left-back slot over Emilio Izaguirre, while Dedryck Boyata has also discovered that he will have a fight on his hands to get back in.

Erik Sviatchenko will still be some weeks away, I suspect, of being fully match fit but you would have to say that he will be expected to slot in alongside Jozo Simunovic at the heart of defence.

As a team they have defended better in recent weeks, although there were one or two wee slips in concentration from Simunovic at the weekend. Overall, though, you would have to say that they have looked much more solid and compact.

That competition for places is what I think has been the catalyst for performances.

With the next couple of weeks critical to Celtic meeting their ambitions for a clean domestic sweep, then they are coming into form just at the right time.

But you still have to say for Sunday’s game at Hampden that you have to ensure the attitude and the application are right because ultimately anything can happen in a one-off game of football.

Celtic have enough without further signings in January

CELTIC have an established link with Manchester City, facilitated by a relationship that Ronny Deila has had with the Premiership club.

The deals that have been done between the clubs have worked out not too badly under the Norwegian, although arguably there is still quite a bit for Dedryck Boyata to prove.

There has been much speculation surrounding a possible loan move for 18-year-old winger Patrick Roberts.

I have felt throughout this window Celtic need players who will still be around come the Champions League qualifiers.

Getting through those summer matches lays the foundations for the season and so it would make sense to bring players in who can be bedded into the team by then.

However, there is an argument Roberts could enhance the forward line and, given there is so much emphasis on Leigh Griffiths and the goals he brings to the team, then it might be an idea to have another player who can get in among the goals.

Nadir Ciftci hasn’t made an impression since his arrival, while Carlton Cole still looks short when it comes to match fitness.

Unless Deila feels that it makes more sense to promote one of his own youth players, such as Aiden Nesbitt, there is a logical argument to say someone who can come in and weigh in on the goal front would be welcome.

Dons a danger in cup but are no title threat

THERE is not much respite between Sunday’s League Cup semi-final game and the trip to Pittodrie on Wednesday night.

Whatever happens against Aberdeen on Wednesday, I believe Celtic will go on and win the title regardless. I just don’t think over a whole season the Pittodrie side are capable of matching Celtic, given the gulf in resources between the sides.

But while it is maybe too big an ask for the Dons to compete over a full campaign, there is no question they will have the belief to think they can go out and get a result against Celtic – especially if it proves to be a difficult afternoon for the Bhoys at Hampden.

I have heard Ronny Deila say that if he was the Aberdeen boss he would try to imbue in his players a sense of belief that they could go on and win the title, but for most of us who have been involved in football for a long time, we have seen the chasm in finances grow vastly since the days of the 1980s when you had strong Dundee United and Aberdeen sides.

I do think if Celtic come away from the Granite City with all three points then it becomes a question simply of when they will wrap up the title – any hiccup against Derek McInnes’ side will simply mean that it takes longer for Celtic to win the league.

All Aberdeen can do by winning the game is plant a seed of doubt in Celtic and see what happens.

Your question for Davie Hay

WILLIE from Paisley asked Davie: Who do you think will win Celtic’s Player of the Year?

The voting for the player of the year takes place before the season has finished but right now I would struggle to look anywhere other than Leigh Griffiths.

The player has come in from the cold to be Celtic’s most consistent performer this season and the biggest compliment you can give him is to say that Celtic look like a better team when he is in there.

If you have a question for Davie, just email him at daviehay@eveningtimes.co.uk and we’ll print the answer alongside the question.