Celtic Edge St Johnstone: O’Neill Unmoved by Performance

Celtic got the win. That was about the only box they fully ticked.

A 1-0 victory over St Johnstone on Wednesday keeps the points tally moving in the Scottish Premiership, yet it did little to satisfy Martin O’Neill, who watched his side dominate almost every metric except the one that mattered most: conviction.

They had 60% of the ball. They racked up an expected goals figure of 2.22 to St Johnstone’s 0.77. Fifteen shots, nine on target. One goal.

The pressure eventually told, but only just. For long spells, Celtic probed and passed without the ruthless edge their manager demands. The scoreline flattered the hosts’ wastefulness as much as it reflected their control.

A Big Call on Duran

The team sheet had already raised eyebrows before a ball was kicked. Camilo Duran, one of Celtic’s standout performers this season, dropped to the bench.

O’Neill’s decision was not about form. It was about fatigue and a calculated gamble.

Speaking to Clyde 1 Superscoreboard after the match, the Celtic boss was brutally honest about the experiment and about how much the Colombian has come to mean to his side.

“(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.

"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 last line cut through the post-match politeness. It was a message not just about Duran’s importance, but about the standard O’Neill expects from the rest of his forwards. Without the Colombian from the start, Celtic lacked their usual spark in the final third, and the manager knew it.

Duran eventually came on, but only for the final 17 minutes. By then, the pattern of the night was set: Celtic on top, Celtic blunt.

Numbers That Tell a Different Story

The contrast with Duran’s season so far is stark. Nine matches, nine goal contributions across the Premiership, League Cup and Champions League qualifiers: six goals and three assists.

He has been the player who turns dominance into damage.

On September 5 against St Mirren, he provided an assist. Three days earlier, away to Aberdeen, he delivered a goal and an assist. He played 83 minutes in that St Mirren match, 75 against Aberdeen. Those are heavy, high-intensity shifts for a forward whose game is built on constant movement, pressing and direct running.

Little wonder O’Neill thought this might be the moment to rest him. Little doubt now that Celtic are a different proposition when he is not on the pitch.

Duran only arrived in Glasgow this summer, signed from Qarabag for a reported €5.5 million fee. Already, he looks like money well spent – and, crucially, a player Celtic struggle to replace when he is not in the XI.

Derbies, Europe and a Growing Test of Depth

There is no time for Celtic to dwell on a disjointed win. September is about to test the depth and mentality of O’Neill’s squad.

Two Old Firm derbies against Rangers loom large. The first comes on Sunday, September 13, in the Scottish League Cup quarterfinals. The second follows a week later, on September 20, in the Premiership.

Wedged between those two battles is the start of another campaign: Ferencvaros visit Celtic Park on September 17 for the opening matchday of the UEFA Europa League.

Celtic will have to navigate that run without Yang Hyun-jun. The South Korean winger is heading off to represent his country at the Asian Games, depriving O’Neill of another attacking option just as the schedule tightens and the stakes rise.

So the picture is clear. Celtic are winning, but not yet convincing. Their manager has publicly underlined the value of Camilo Duran and, by extension, the need for others to step up when he rests.

The fixtures ahead will show whether this was just a flat night in front of goal – or an early warning about a squad that still needs sharper edges for the battles to come.