Brendan Rodgers faced dissent from the stands and apparent disquiet from within his squad following Saturday’s goalless home draw with St Johnstone.
Celtic followed their Viaplay Cup exit at Kilmarnock with another setback as they saw their early-season cinch Premiership advantage over Rangers cut to one point before travelling to Ibrox next Sunday.
Celtic were booed off the park after failing to break down a team who had lost their last four matches.
There was further acrimony as Rodgers joined his players as they walked round the stadium to show their appreciation to the fans who had stayed behind.
Many of those in the standing section, which had expressed opposition to Rodgers’ reappointment in June, reacted angrily when the group reached them.
There was another issue for Rodgers to ponder on Sunday when Sead Haksabanovic appeared to express dissatisfaction with his situation on the fringes of the team.
Writing on his verified Instagram account, Haksabanovic posted a photo of himself in a Celtic strip and said: “If they don’t see your value maybe you’re not at the right place.”
The Montenegro international has only started 13 games since joining Celtic 12 months ago, four since the World Cup, and has made two substitute appearances under Rodgers.
The comment quickly drew criticism from former Celtic striker Chris Sutton, who wrote on Twitter: “Haksabanovic may have a point but he’s out of order making his point in public.
“Just go and knock on the managers door and tell him if you’re unhappy… and playing well also helps!”
Haksabanovic came close to breaking the deadlock against Saints with a long-range strike that was turned round the post by Dimitar Mitov.
The Bulgarian goalkeeper made a hat-trick of excellent stops from Matt O’Riley but was otherwise untroubled by Celtic, who needed Joe Hart to be on top form to deny Dara Costelloe and Stevie May in the second half.
Celtic failed to score in consecutive domestic games for the first time in five years, the previous time coming after they had clinched their second title under Rodgers.
Some players appear to have lost their edge since the departure of Ange Postecoglou and Rodgers could not explain the reasons for their flat display in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s game.
Rodgers said: “We obviously had a couple of good chances, the keeper made some really good saves and we got into some good areas, but we lacked craft and that extra wee bit of imagination when we got in there.
“I’m not sure (why). I think it’s something I need to go away and analyse in the game. We arrived into some good positions but whether it was the finesse on the pass, or giving it away, or just couldn’t quite beat our man.”
Despite the setback, O’Riley feels they are getting greater cohesion.
The midfielder, who is playing a deeper role than he normally fulfilled under Postecoglou, said: “I think structurally we were better in terms of our understanding on the pitch.
“We could have been a lot cleaner with our passes but in terms of understanding the system, today was the most comfortable I’ve felt within it. I think that showed with the chances we did create.”
St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean hopes the point will kick-start their campaign after a difficult start to his first full season in the job which saw his side lose five of their first six matches and suffer a 4-0 home defeat by Stirling.
“This was the first week that we had a proper squad,” said MacLean, who handed out three debuts. “We had 12 players fit for pre-season and four of them were young players who’d never played for the club before.
“I had 10 players injured at Ross County, and had to play a left centre-half at left-back and a central midfielder at right-wing.
“The things that have happened in the off season, you couldn’t write it. You go on all these courses to learn about coaching and managing but nothing like that gets brought up.
“There have been some tough days but you come through it and you are better for it. Hopefully my team can kick on now.”
Conte hopes for Ranieri's success at Roma after Napoli clash
Antonio Conte hopes that everything will go well for Claudio Ranieri after he came out of retirement to take charge of Roma, but only after their Serie A clash this weekend.
Ranieri was tempted back into management by a return to where he began as a player. His third spell at Roma comes after the club sacked two coaches already this season and with the team 12th in the standings.
A trip to leaders Napoli is Ranieri's first task, and Conte is looking forward to meeting up with the 73-year-old.
"I am pleased to see Claudio, I have great esteem for him and there is also friendship," Conte told reporters ahead of Sunday's game.
"I am happy with the chance he has been given. It will be a tough game, for us and for them. Last year, Roma finished ahead of Napoli, they are in the Europa League and had a good transfer window.
"They are not performing according to expectations and I hope for Claudio that everything starts to work after Sunday's game."
The arrival of Ranieri in place of Ivan Juric brings with it not just the danger of the 'new manager bounce' but also upsets Conte's plans for the game.
"When a team changes coach there is an important input on a nervous level," Conte said.
"They are at the third change on the bench. It's inevitable that, if Juric had remained, we knew what kind of team we were going to face.
"Now it's an enigma, we don't have much information nor do we know how they will deal with us. So let's think about ourselves, there is a desire and enthusiasm to continue this path."
After a streak of 21 consecutive home wins in Serie A, Conte lost his last home league match (0-3 against Atalanta). Only once in his career has he recorded two consecutive home defeats in the competition: in November 2009, when he was in charge of Atalanta (against Juventus and Roma).
Napoli are top of the table, but Conte knows it is still early, and with just two points separating the top six clubs, which includes the likes of Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio, for now, it is a different title race than usual.
"Only 12 games have passed and there are many teams within very few points," he said.
"We are doing well, but so are the others. There isn't one team which has distanced the others. Perhaps there is a little amazement in seeing some teams in those positions in the standings."
Martino resigns as Inter Miami coach after early playoff exit
Gerardo Martino has resigned as Inter Miami's head coach due to personal reasons, the MLS side have confirmed.
The Argentine ends his 17-month stint in charge of the Herons following their MLS Cup exit just under a fortnight ago.
Martino, who oversaw Miami's Leagues Cup triumph soon after his arrival last season, guided the franchise to this year's Supporters' Shield with a regular-season record tally of 74 points.
However, they were eliminated by his former side Atlanta United in round one of the MLS Cup playoffs.
Miami opened their best-of-three series against Atlanta with a 2-1 win, only to lose by the same scoreline in Game 2 before falling to a dramatic 3-2 defeat in the decider.
“It has been an honour to work at such a special club, and to lead such a special team," Martino said.
"I’ve enjoyed my stay at Inter Miami and will treasure the memories made and relationships forged here for the rest of my life.
"I depart with nothing but gratitude for my time here and would like to offer sincere thanks to everyone that made it possible."
Fonseca: Milan have 'respect' but 'are not afraid' of Juventus
Paulo Fonseca said Milan have plenty of "respect" for Juventus, but his side "are not afraid" of their rivals ahead of their Serie A clash on Saturday.
After a slow start to the season, Milan are six points adrift of Juventus in the table, but only a place behind them, as they aim to make up the ground on the top six.
The Rossoneri have played a game less than Thiago Motta's side, and could catapult themselves back into the Scudetto picture with a win this weekend.
Milan return to the San Siro for the first time since a 2-0 defeat to Napoli at the end of October, and could register two consecutive home defeats in Serie A for the first time since between October and November in 2023.
"It is not decisive, but it is important, like all of them," Fonseca told reporters ahead of Saturday's game.
"I can't say that the game against Juve is more important than the next one against Empoli because we need consecutive victories.
"It's a different game, but I always think positively. We are Milan, we have a lot of respect for the 'Bianconeri', but we are not afraid. We are here ready to win."
A boost for Milan is that Juventus will be without top scorer Dusan Vlahovic for Saturday's clash after returning from international duty with a muscle problem.
Despite the Serbian's absence, Fonseca was aware of the danger his probable replacement, Timothy Weah, would pose, having managed him during his time at Lille.
"Juve knows how to adapt very well. I don't know if Weah will play," Fonseca said.
"Weah is very fast and attacks deep, not like Vlahovic. It will not be the same thing of course.
"We will have to pay attention to movements in depth and less to support work, because he is a player who does less of this job."
While Fonseca has endured a stuttering start to his tenure at the San Siro, Milan have shown they have the ability to match the very best.
They beat rivals Inter in October before stunning Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in their last Champions League encounter, keeping their play-off hopes alive.
"I believe it's a matter of motivation and not pressure," Fonseca said.
"Against Inter, Juve and Real it is easy to be motivated, it's more difficult to go to Cagliari and have the same motivation.
"Pressure is always with us, every day. If we don't want to have pressure, then we shouldn't be here."
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