Celtic’s quest for Invincible II faces only one obvious danger; our continued success.

Yesterday, I talked about the array of factors that might stop Celtic from going through the domestic season unbeaten. Many of the potential obstacles that applied to other Celtic teams, though, don’t seem to apply to this one—at least not to me. Our squad feels significantly stronger than any I can recall in recent years, and Brendan Rodgers himself has said he believes it’s stronger than the one that achieved an Invincible Treble in his first campaign.

If that’s true, and this Celtic team is even better than that one, then what exactly do we have to fear in the quest to make history again? If this is the strongest squad Rodgers has worked with and we’re capable of dismantling teams as we did Ross County yesterday, and doing so on a regular basis, what’s standing in our way?

Ironically, our biggest challenge might stem from our own success. That may sound strange, but think about it: for the first time in a long while, we’re on track to have European football extending into February, and perhaps even beyond, depending on the quirks of the Champions League draw.

That makes this an almost unprecedented season. We’ve never before attempted to win a domestic treble unbeaten while also competing at the highest level in Europe. If we were to pull it off, it would be a truly singular achievement.

This isn’t just about having a strong squad. There are many other considerations. The sheer fixture pile-up is enormous, and the risk of burnout is real.

And by burnout, I don’t mean the kind you can fix by giving a player a couple of games off. I mean the exhaustion that comes from the relentless grind of training and playing at the highest level for months on end. That’s one reason why Celtic’s Grand Slam of 1967 has stood the test of time.

No modern team has matched it, and perhaps no team ever will. In today’s football, the sheer number of matches means even the best squads, led by the best managers, must prioritise. They have to decide which competitions to target and which to let slide.

Let’s be honest: if we’re still in European competition by late February and Rodgers has to choose between fielding his strongest team for further progress in Europe or preserving an unbeaten league campaign where we’re already miles ahead, what do you think he’ll do?

My guess is that he won’t risk his best eleven in a league game that’s essentially meaningless in the grander scheme of things. This isn’t just about light rotation, either.

In this scenario, we could see a game where Rodgers rests nearly the entire first team—maybe even leaving some out of the squad altogether—and sends out five Academy players for a Sunday lunchtime kick-off. Why risk injuries when European progress is on the line?

Ultimately, the fans themselves might have to make peace with such compromises. The closer we get to the prize of an unbeaten domestic campaign, the more many supporters will want it. If Rodgers sacrifices that goal for further European progress—especially if that progress doesn’t materialise—it could upset a lot of people.

For me, if there were a realistic chance of Celtic reaching the latter stages of a European competition, I’d say that opportunity is too good to pass up. Would I give up a domestic treble for it? That’s a tougher call, but when it comes to the idea of an unbeaten domestic season, I think I’d be pragmatic. I’d prioritise Europe without hesitation.

Of course, everyone will have their own perspective on this. But barring this kind of scenario—where we have to make such a trade-off—I genuinely don’t see what could stop us right now.

As I said yesterday, I don’t think we’ll achieve an invincible domestic campaign—not because of any obvious weakness, but because the obstacles that will trip us up are likely ones we can’t yet see. It’s hard to predict the unexpected, but it’s always lurking; the idea that it might be halted by progress elsewhere is the one thing that right now looks truly dangerous.