Hearts’ exceptional start to the season has made Celtic’s struggles even more concerning.
Brendan Rodgers’ side were defeated by Dundee on Sunday, leaving them five points behind the Jambos, who won 3-0 against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.
Rodgers said he had been given the keys to a Honda Civic after the defeat at Dens Park, and that he couldn’t be expected to have it racing like a Ferrari.
But with performances not trending in the right direction, there are now serious questions over when the Hoops can discover form actually worthy of winning a league title.
Celtic play Hearts at Tynecastle this weekend – and Chris Sutton has been discussing his thoughts on the title race in Scotland.
Chris Sutton on Hearts vs Celtic
Hearts may have a fraction of the Hoops’ budget, but with the influence of Tony Bloom and Jamestown Analytics, they can narrow the gap with their data scouting.
But existing players have also been contributing to their fantastic form at the beginning of the campaign.
READ MORE: Chris Sutton addresses rumours he’s heard about Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic future
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
A five-point gap at the top is impressive, but not insurmountable – the Hoops hero does however have his concerns over how the Hoops can claw things back.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, Sutton laid things out for the current state of play in Scotland, in pretty bleak fashion.
He said: “I think Hearts can win the title this year, I really do. Partly because of the way that they have recruited, partly because of the manager, partly because of their form.
“And partly because of the way that Rangers and Celtic are playing at this moment in time. I don’t really see a way out for Rangers and Celtic until January, because Hearts have got themselves into a handsome position.
“They’re pretty clear at the top, they don’t have European football to contend with as Rangers and Celtic do. So there’s a lot of things pointing in Hearts’ favour, and who knows whether Jamestown Analytics – they may well go again in the transfer market in January and bring a couple of gems in.
“Because they recruited well in the summer, got a really impressive win at the weekend against Kilmarnock on a plastic pitch, they’ve beaten Rangers at Ibrox this season, won the Edinburgh Derby.
“They are a well-balanced team. They play Celtic this weekend, and at this moment in time, I don’t think there are many Celtic fans out there who think that the Celtic team are capable of beating them.”
Are Hearts favourites to beat Celtic?
The Hoops have European action against Sturm Graz at Celtic Park on Thursday, and after a poor start to their Europa League campaign, Rodgers’ eyes will firmly be on that.
But the trip to Tynecastle after that will be a hugely fascinating encounter. It’s too early in the season to be a title decider, but it’s certainly a rare instance of many Hoops fans not seeing them as favourites in the league.
Rodgers has lost at Tynecastle three times across his three spells – it’s not an easy place to go at the best of times.
But next Sunday will be the most fascinating match of the season so far in Scotland – and Celtic can’t afford to put in the same performance that they did at Dens.