Anyone with a ruthless streak could easily take advantage of Celtic.

Celtic’s Perfect Start Hides Some Serious Concerns

On the surface, everything appears to be going perfectly for Celtic.

Martin O’Neill’s team sit at the summit of the Scottish Premiership after winning all five of their opening league fixtures. To the casual observer, that record suggests the champions are once again comfortably in control of Scottish football.

However, Celtic’s impressive league record does not necessarily tell the complete story.

The club suffered an embarrassing Champions League exit against LASK just two weeks ago, and there are still major questions surrounding the defensive side of the team.

Although Celtic continue to collect victories domestically, their performances have not always been convincing. There is a vulnerability within the side that stronger opponents could exploit far more effectively.

Yang Hyun-jun is congratulated by team-mates after scoring in the 2-1 win against St Mirren

Striker Nikolas Agrafiotis gives St Mirren the lead with a first-half penalty in Paisley

Celtic boss Martin O’Neill has guided them to the top of the table with five wins out of five

St Mirren Expose Celtic’s Weaknesses

That vulnerability was evident again during Celtic’s latest match against St Mirren.

The champions eventually secured a 2-1 victory in Paisley, but the scoreline does not accurately reflect how uncomfortable portions of the contest were for O’Neill’s team.

St Mirren created numerous opportunities and finished the match with 19 attempts on goal.

Several of those chances were excellent opportunities that the home side will regret failing to convert.

Had St Mirren shown greater composure in front of goal, Celtic could easily have dropped points.

The Buddies will therefore feel frustrated that they did not get something from a match in which they repeatedly exposed weaknesses in the Celtic defence.

Celtic Also Had Their Own Opportunities

It would be unfair to suggest that Celtic were fortunate throughout the entire match.

The visitors also had chances to extend their lead, and two goals were ruled out following controversial offside decisions.

Camilo Duran and Shim Mheuka both saw efforts disallowed, with questions subsequently raised about the VAR technology and whether the lines could be viewed from an appropriate angle.

There were even suggestions that the system may have experienced technical problems.

Whatever the explanation, the latest controversy added to the growing frustration surrounding the standard of VAR being used in the Scottish Premiership.

Celtic ultimately took the three points, but the wider performance still raised concerns.

The LASK Numbers Are Eye-Watering

The biggest warning sign for Celtic remains their recent European experience.

During the away leg against LASK, Celtic allowed their opponents to register an astonishing 40 shots over 120 minutes of football.

That figure is extremely difficult to overlook.

Even the home match in Glasgow, which Celtic won comfortably 3-0, produced another 20 attempts from LASK.

The result made it easier to ignore the defensive issues because Celtic’s attacking quality ultimately produced a convincing scoreline.

But the underlying statistics remained troubling.

When Celtic face teams capable of moving the ball effectively, creating chances and maintaining pressure, they appear much less secure than their domestic league position suggests.

Defensive Problems Remain Unresolved

Celtic fell behind against St Mirren after Liam Scales was penalised for handball inside the box.

Nikolas Agrafiotis stepped up and converted the resulting penalty, putting the hosts ahead.

Scales eventually redeemed himself by scoring Celtic’s equaliser with a header in the second half.

Yang Hyun-jun then completed the comeback by producing the winning finish before departing to join South Korea for international duty.

Despite eventually winning, Celtic did not look like a side that had completely solved its defensive problems.

Instead, they were forced into a competitive battle after allowing St Mirren to apply considerable pressure.

Individual Defensive Performances Raise Questions

O’Neill was quick to praise Scales after the match, particularly because he had been asked to fill in at left-back due to Kieran Tierney’s absence.

Cameron Carter-Vickers also delivered a reasonably solid performance at centre-back.

However, Auston Trusty and Colby Donovan had more difficult evenings.

Donovan was booked early and appeared uncomfortable throughout the game as he attempted to deal with the speed and directness of St Mirren winger Ismeal Kabia.

That individual vulnerability contributed to the wider problem Celtic experienced.

When stronger opponents possess even greater quality in attacking areas, those weaknesses could become much more damaging.

Celtic Strengthened Their Attack

One area where Celtic have clearly improved is in the attacking department.

The club made several additions during the summer, including Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh.

Duran in particular has already shown signs that he can become an important attacking player.

He caused St Mirren problems throughout the match and played a key role in the build-up to Yang’s winning goal.

His pressing helped Celtic regain possession before the visitors quickly launched a counter-attack.

The move eventually created the opportunity for Yang to produce a quality finish.

That was Celtic at their best: aggressive pressing, quick transition and clinical attacking play.

The Midfield Still Needs More Protection

However, Celtic’s attacking improvements have not been matched by the same level of reinforcement defensively.

One of the most obvious omissions from their recruitment strategy was the failure to add a genuine defensive midfielder capable of protecting the back four.

The team can look dangerously open when opponents break forward.

There is also a concern over the lack of a truly elite centre-back to partner Carter-Vickers.

Those weaknesses become especially obvious when Celtic lose possession and are forced to defend transitions.

Against St Mirren, the home side repeatedly found opportunities to attack spaces behind and around the Celtic defence.

A technically stronger team with better movement and greater quality in the final third could punish those mistakes far more severely.

Scoring Goals Alone Will Not Be Enough

Celtic have demonstrated that they possess plenty of attacking quality.

Duran is capable of causing problems, while the wide players can create openings and the midfield has players capable of contributing to attacks.

But scoring goals cannot compensate indefinitely for defensive uncertainty.

Championship-winning teams need balance.

They must be able to create and finish chances while also preventing opponents from generating repeated opportunities at the other end.

At present, Celtic appear significantly stronger going forward than they are defensively.

O’Neill will undoubtedly recognise that imbalance.

The Next Fixtures Will Provide Answers

Celtic’s upcoming schedule will offer a much clearer indication of their actual level.

The Hoops travel to St Johnstone on Wednesday before facing Celtic’s biggest domestic challenge in the form of an Old Firm double-header.

Those matches will provide an immediate test of whether Celtic’s defensive weaknesses can withstand the intensity of games against Rangers.

European football will also return next week when Celtic begin their Europa League campaign against Ferencvaros.

Further difficult opponents, including Benfica, Celta Vigo, Besiktas and Marseille, await later in the competition.

Those matches could expose any weaknesses that remain hidden during routine domestic victories.

Europa League Ambitions Could Be Tested

One of the reasons O’Neill was attracted to returning to Celtic was the possibility of making a meaningful impact in European competition.

The ambition of producing another memorable European run, similar to Celtic’s 2003 campaign, would undoubtedly have been appealing.

Being in the Europa League rather than the Champions League arguably provides Celtic with a more realistic opportunity to progress further.

Yet their defensive shortcomings make it difficult to predict how far they can actually go.

European opponents will be more clinical than many Scottish Premiership sides, and Celtic cannot expect to survive if they continue conceding large numbers of chances.

Celtic’s League Position Tells Only Half The Story

Five victories from five league matches is undoubtedly an impressive start.

But the results should not completely conceal the weaknesses within the team.

Celtic have repeatedly demonstrated attacking quality, but they remain capable of looking fragile when opponents apply sustained pressure.

St Mirren’s 19 attempts were not simply the result of random luck. They reflected genuine opportunities created by a team that recognised Celtic could be exposed.

More ruthless opponents would likely have punished those openings.

Celtic therefore remain in control of the domestic title race, but the situation is not as comfortable as the league table suggests.

Until the defensive structure becomes more reliable, the champions will continue to operate closer to the edge than their perfect record indicates.

The victories keep arriving, but the questions remain.

The biggest question is perhaps the simplest one: can any Scottish side exploit Celtic’s weaknesses consistently enough to turn those defensive concerns into a genuine title challenge?