Celtic Edge St Johnstone: O’Neill Unmoved by Narrow Win

Celtic got the job done on the scoreboard. That was about the only part Martin O’Neill liked.

A 1-0 win over St Johnstone in the sixth round of the Scottish Premiership kept the Hoops moving in the right direction, but it did little to convince their manager that his side can afford to take shortcuts — especially when it comes to leaving out one of his most influential forwards.

Dominance Without Conviction

The numbers scream control. Celtic held 60% of the ball, racked up an expected goals tally of 2.22 to St Johnstone’s 0.77, and fired 15 shots, 9 of them on target. On another night, that should mean a comfortable margin, maybe even a statement win.

Instead, it was tight. Too tight.

They found the one goal they needed and no more. The performance lagged well behind the statistics, and O’Neill knew it. The rhythm was stuttering, the cutting edge blunted, and the manager’s post-match tone made clear he was far from satisfied.

The Big Call: Dropping Duran

One decision framed the night before a ball was kicked: Camilo Duran left out of the starting XI.

The Colombian forward has been one of Celtic’s standout performers since arriving from Qarabag in the summer for 5.5 million euros. Leaving him on the bench was always going to raise eyebrows. O’Neill had his reasons — and he was brutally honest about the outcome when he spoke to Clyde 1 Superscoreboard.

“(Camilo) Durán doesn't start for us. He's just been class, and he looked tired in the game against St Mirren. But I'm not surprised for the amount of things that he does for us, both with the ball, which is terrific, and also the work that he does off it,” O’Neill said.

Then came the line that cut through the night.

“He's second only to Daizen (Maeda) in terms of closing players down. So I wanted to try and see if we could do without him, and the answer is probably not.”

That admission was more than a throwaway remark. It was a clear message to the rest of the front line: standards have been set, and right now Duran is the benchmark.

Duran’s Numbers Tell Their Own Story

If O’Neill’s words were sharp, Duran’s season so far explains why.

Nine matches. Nine goal contributions.

Across the Premiership, League Cup and Champions League qualifiers, the Colombian has produced 6 goals and 3 assists. He assisted in the match against St Mirren on September 5, and just before that, against Aberdeen on September 2, he delivered a goal and an assist. He played 83 minutes in the St Mirren game, 75 against Aberdeen.

Against St Johnstone? Just 17 minutes.

Those brief minutes only underlined how much Celtic miss his energy and invention when he’s not on the pitch. O’Neill wanted to see if his side could cope without their tireless attacker. The answer, by his own admission, was no.

A Brutal September Ahead

There is no time for Celtic to dwell on an unconvincing win. The calendar is about to turn ruthless.

Two derbies against Rangers loom large. First, the Scottish League Cup quarterfinal on Sunday, September 13. Then, a Premiership clash on September 20 that could shape the early title narrative.

Between those two battles, Celtic open their UEFA Europa League campaign at home to Ferencvaros on September 17. It’s a stretch of games that will demand intensity, rotation, and big performances from the club’s attacking core.

They will have to do it without Yang Hyun-jun. The South Korean winger will be away with his national team at the Asian Games, depriving O’Neill of another important wide option just as the season’s first real storm rolls in.

So the picture is clear. Celtic are winning, but not yet convincing. Their manager has drawn a line in the sand, their key forward has become almost indispensable, and the fiercest fixtures of the month are about to arrive.

If this team really can’t do without Camilo Duran, how far can he carry them when the derbies and European nights begin to bite?