A typically lively afternoon at Tynecastle concluded on a lighter note than expected.

As the post-match press conference was drawing to a close, Derek McInnes faced a query from a journalist regarding the status of Rogers Mato.

Mato, initially anticipated to join Hearts during the summer transfer window, became the center of a mild frenzy when his current team, FK Vardar of Macedonia, announced he had been sold to MLS club Sporting KC for £1 million. However, this claim has proven to be unfounded.

McInnes, with a grin, quipped, “I hope he scores quicker than he makes his way to the UK. But he should arrive this week.”

This situation underscored a more significant issue, highlighting the club’s proactive recruitment strategy, which has been notably enhanced since the involvement of Tony Bloom and Jamestown Analytics.

Martin O’Neill’s Celtic side were second best in the draw against Hearts on Sunday

Julian Araujo is one of two new faces to come in at Parkhead this January transfer window

Hearts may well have moved to sign a player who can play all across the front line this month in any event. But the moment Lawrence Shankland was ruled out for two months through injury, they made it a priority and stepped on the gas.

Cammy Devlin’s absence was another hammer blow. Hearts again reacted quickly by plucking Marc Leonard on loan from Birmingham. After a sticky start, the midfielder played a significant role in McInnes’ men claiming a point against Celtic.

Who’s to say how important that result may prove in the final reckoning?

Since time immemorial, the game has thrown curve balls at clubs. Provided you are ready for them, they don’t need to smack you between the eyes and knock you to the floor.

In contrast to Hearts’ approach, how would one describe Celtic’s readiness to cope with the personnel problems that have invariably come their way? They are anything but agile in this regard.

It took the club fully a year to source a replacement for Kyogo Furuhashi. While clearly not cut from the same cloth, Tomas Cvancara at least appears to have some pedigree.

But who’s come in for Adam Idah? Kelechi Iheanacho hasn’t played since suffering yet another injury in the League Cup final loss to St Mirren. O’Neill cannot count on him.

Put simply, fully 26 days after the window opened, he needs another dependable option up front.

Furthermore, where is the man to offer competition and support for Yang Hyun-jun on the right wing? James Forrest is now a peripheral player. It’s now five months since Celtic were paid an initial £16.5m from Como for Nicolas Kuhn’s services. Still the supporters and the manager wait.

And where, you might ask, is the physical holding midfielder that Celtic have been crying out for for several seasons? It’s crystal clear that no current permutation works. Far too often, they are bullied. The loss of two goals from cross balls against Hearts again highlighted a weak spot.

With a week to go until the transfer window closes, there are glaring deficiencies in the squad. They existed long before the start of this month. If they exist after it, even with O’Neill at the helm, it’s inconceivable that the side will retain the title.

The staggering mismanagement of the squad across multiple windows was there for all to see on Sunday.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor hails Tomas Cvancara, the latest new face at Parkhead

With Iheanacho still, predictably, out injured, Cvancara was the only bona fide centre-forward in a 20-man match-day party.

Without an appearance since featuring for Antalyaspor against Konyaspor on November 24, the on-loan Borussia Monchengladbach man did well to make it to 65 minutes during which he set up Yang’s goal.

With Johnny Kenny also sidelined, the trouble for O’Neill was that there was no natural replacement. Daizen Maeda, part of the team which had to play for an hour in Bologna with 10-men, again had to move in from the left. Little wonder even he looked exhausted by the end of the day.

With Michel-Ange Balikwisha nowhere to be seen and Jota another long-term injury, the total of O’Neill’s other attacking options were Seb Tounekti and Forrest. How had it come to this?

Celtic’s approach to solving problems is perplexing. Despite having £77m in the bank at last count and prior knowledge of what’s required, they procrastinate and make low-ball offers.

As the days go by, their bargaining position becomes increasingly desperate and selling clubs know this.

If chief executive Michael Nicholson, fresh from a trip to Bologna, doesn’t come up trumps between now and Monday, the game — in terms of the title — will already be up.

‘Everyone knows the situation that we’re in,’ said skipper Callum McGregor. ‘We do need a little bit of help in terms of quality, in terms of boosting the squad and I’m sure the manager will get the players we need.’

Across two spells, O’Neill and his backroom have done a fine job of squeezing every last drop out of the players at their disposal.

After they took over from Brendan Rodgers, the side won five straight Premiership matches.

The players chalked up two more after time was called on the Wilfried Nancy debacle before the draw with Hearts which was hardly disastrous given the form of McInnes’ table-toppers and Auston Trusty’s debatable red card.

But you can’t help but feel that the squad is already maxed out. Only once this season has it chalked up five straight league wins. Of the 14 victories, seven have come by a single goal.

With 15 matches to go in the Premiership, there’s nothing to suggest that the side is presently capable of going on the long winning run it will need to overtake Rangers then Hearts.

It’s been pretty much stop-start since the get go. Unless something fundamentally changes, why should that change now?

Martin O’Neill has 15 matches to go in the Premiership plus a potential European campaign to navigate with Celtic still in with a shout of the Europa League knockout stage

European football may prove to be as much of a curse as a blessing. O’Neill’s side have a gilt-edged chance to make it to the knockout round of the Europa League. Defeat already-eliminated Utrecht on Thursday and they are there.

As welcome as that scenario would be, it would mean they would face Hibs (home) and Rangers (away) three days after the respective legs of their first knockout tie, with other domestic complications to follow if they were to advance further in the competition.

The mildly encouraging thing for supporters is that the two players the club have signed to date in January do look good on the limited available evidence.

Julian Araujo is physical and uses the ball smartly. Cvancara has pace to run the channels yet can also hold it up and link the play.

But unless Celtic acquire three or four other big hitters in short order, O’Neill will do well to secure a second-placed finish let alone first.

After four years of winning the title with comparative ease, this one’s going to the wire. And, as things stand, the champions don’t look like lasting the pace.