It has taken a handicap of Celtic playing 10 more games than any of their nearest Premiership rivals but for now, Brendan Rodgers side appear that they might just be flagging.
Although they extended their record domestic unbeaten run to 68 matches with a 2-2 draw against Hibs on Sunday, that was the closest they have come to suffering a defeat in Scottish football since the Northern Irishman took over in the summer of 2016.
Having allowed the Edinburgh side back into the game after they had at one point trailed 2-0, Celtic contrived to come within a whisker of defeat as it took a Mikael Lustig goal-line clearance with 20 seconds of injury time remaining to thwart Oli Shaw, who so nearly shattered the Hoops’ run.
Rodgers might have argued in the aftermath that his side should have scored “four or five”, yet the stark reality is that his team faded to such an extent that their opponents were let back into the game.
Mentally and physically, they are starting to look worn.
It is evident that the sheer volume of games that Celtic have played has started to catch up with their squad. Despite enviable depth, the Bhoys have already dropped more points before the halfway mark this season than they did throughout last term, while they also suffered more Champions League defeats, despite securing post-Christmas football.
Of course, that is not to disparage their efforts; it is simply the consequences of a packed calendar that began in July and has shown no relent for the last five months. The winter break is on the horizon and when it arrives, it will prove a welcome breather.
Until then, though, Celtic must negotiate another packed series of fixtures, with six matches still to play over the course of a fraught 17-day period. Among those are a trip to Hearts and a home match against a dangerous Aberdeen side, while the climax will come on December 30, when Rodgers’ side host Rangers.
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By the time the Old Firm game rolls around, however, the Hoops risk being burnt out.
The signs of wear and tear have already been evident for several weeks in a team that has already played 32 matches this season, but they have grown increasingly evident of late.
Big wins might have been amassed against St Johnstone and Motherwell, the latter coming thanks to a flurry of late goals, but lapses have also arrived on an increasingly regular basis.
It took a controversial late penalty in their previous fixture again Motherwell to keep the undefeated run going, while Hibs also came close to breaking their undefeated run over the last fortnight. Meanwhile, the 1-0 defeat against Anderlecht in the Champions League was as far from the type of rousing home performance Celtic have become noted for in Europe as it is possible to get.
This is not a squad that has lost its quality overnight, yet it is a team teetering on the edge of exhaustion, highlighting that there is perhaps not the strength in depth available that Rodgers might wish.
A crazy spell of domestic fixtures over the next fortnight will push Celtic to the maximum, and while they will surely go on and win the league, this is as close to fallible as they have looked since the departure of Ronny Deila.
Rodgers’ squad has risen to every challenge that has been placed in front of them domestically so far, but these next six games promise to be the biggest yet.
