Three defeats, one week & facing growing questions: does Martin O'Neill still have the answers as Celtic boss?

The evidence from Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Celtic Park made for uncomfortable viewing. Ryan Naderi's 33rd-minute goal was enough for Derek McInnes’ side to emerge with three points, but the score line arguably flattered the hosts. Rangers were the superior side for long periods and had numerous opportunities to extend their lead.

That makes O'Neill's assessment - "I don't think there's very much between the teams" - difficult to reconcile with what unfolded on the pitch. Perhaps that is the most significant issue now facing the veteran manager.

O'Neill is not short of experience, nor has he suddenly forgotten how to manage a football team. He led Celtic to an unthinkable league and Scottish Cup double last season after taking over during a period of major upheaval, and subsequently agreed to stay for another 12 months in the Parkhead hotseat.

But football management is about what is happening now, not what happened a few months ago. And former Hoops boss Neil Lennon offered a particularly stark assessment in his punditry role on Sky Sports after Celtic’s latest setback.

Asked whether he felt O’Neill still had the fight to continue in the role, Lennon responded: “Martin is clearly hurting, he's smarting about it. The [international] break has come at a good time for him, he can recuperate, get some sun. He still feels he's got the energy to do it but when you get a week like this, you'll come under a lot of scrutiny.”

Lennon suggested his fellow countryman was “trying to find a recipe to get some fluidity” after changing formation and making four changes from Thursday’s 3-1 Europa League defeat to Ferencvaros. But he concluded that Rangers had been “the far superior team”, adding that his old club were "totally disjointed” and “outplayed" in the second half.

Those are not the observations of a team that merely lost a derby by a slender margin.

Chris Sutton went further, stating: “I don't like to disagree with him but it wasn't a close game. There was a massive gulf between the teams. Celtic have got big problems."

That is where the question of O'Neill's fight becomes more complicated. There is little reason to doubt his appetite for the job. His own assessment of the game suggested someone who is still searching for solutions rather than one ready to walk away.

Yet the concern is whether determination alone can solve what has become a footballing problem. Celtic have now lost twice to Rangers in seven days and also suffered a European defeat in between, with the 74-year-old facing growing questions over his side's defensive frailties and attacking cohesion.

O'Neill's supporters can reasonably point to the international break as an opportunity to regroup. However, the break cannot become an excuse. It has to become a turning point.

The most revealing thing about Sunday's defeat may therefore not be whether O'Neill still has the fight. His comments suggest he does. The bigger question is whether he can find the formula quickly enough to make that fight count.

*The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly