Celtic's mauling of Hearts eliminated many of the question marks hanging over Martin O'Neill's side - but one significant question remains. What does Sunday's incredible seven-goal victory tell us about record signing Kasper Hogh's place in the team? Benched for the visit of last season's Scottish Premiership runners-up, a dynamic front three of Camilo Duran, Callum Osmand and Haissem Hassan were integral to a scintillating attacking display.
In the aftermath of last Thursday's chastening Europa League defeat at Benfica, during which Hogh was hooked at half-time, O'Neill backed the 25-year-old to end the campaign with 20 goals. But is the £11m man now fighting for a starting spot? Jota 'met some demons' during long injury absence 'Four points is nothing' - O'Neill stays cool after statement win Celtic score seven in humiliation of title rivals Hearts Having scored in just one of his 12 Celtic appearances - a hat-trick at Kilmarnock in August - O'Neill acknowledges his marquee summer acquisition is low on confidence, with a Europa League match against Celta Vigo to come on Thursday.
"He has lost a bit of confidence, but we will get that back during the course of time," the veteran boss said in the lead-up to Sunday's demolition of Hearts. "We have game after game after game between now and January, but he will score goals for us, there is no question about it, and it is just a matter of tinkering around, but that's the nature of the business." The Denmark forward did come off the bench at the weekend to set up Benjamin Nygren for Celtic's seventh goal. He also assisted the Sweden midfielder during the 2-0 win at Motherwell seven days earlier.
However, Hogh's performance in the 4-1 defeat in Lisbon, sandwiched between those two Premiership victories, intensified the debate surrounding his place in the team. "If I'm a creative player and I've got Duran and Hogh to pick from, I'm taking Duran every day of the week," former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan said. "He looks to get off the side of defenders.
If you put a ball into the area, he's more likely to be alive to it." Hogh was brought off at the break in Lisbon, with Duran, who has been the standout of Celtic's summer arrivals, moved to the centre of the attack. With Hassan and Osmand on either side, O'Neill's frontline looked far more potent in a much-improved second-half display. The same trio that finished Thursday's match started on Sunday, and Hearts simply could not live with them.
An Osmand double helped the champions establish a 5-1 half-time lead, while Duran's ninth goal of the campaign was one of two Celtic goals after the break. Listen to live match commentary on BBC Sounds and follow text updates on the BBC Sport website and app. It seems inconceivable that an £11m signing would not be a guaranteed starter for a Scottish club.
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