Celtic have had injury issues and we may be over the worst.

Yesterday was, in its own way, quite amusing for Celtic fans. We had people talking about how Hearts are about to get players back and will soon be close to full strength again.

At the same time, across the city, there was a great deal of noise about the possibility that Mohamed Diomande might not play again before the end of the season.

There was a lot of concern. A lot of anxiety. A lot of talk about how damaging that could be. And all I could do was laugh. Talk about one club giving itself a dose of over confidence and another getting the excuses in early.

Because only one team in this title race has spent the entire campaign dealing with injuries that tore through the core of the side.

Only one. Celtic. And we have just come through the worst of it.

The injury problems did not begin in the middle of the season. They did not arrive at a convenient moment where anyone could frame them as an excuse or a sudden setback.

They were already there before a ball was kicked.

Before the campaign even got underway, we knew we would not see Jota for much of the season, if we saw him at all. That loss hit before we had even started. It stripped a player of real quality and influence out of the side.

Then we lost Cameron Carter-Vickers. That was no routine injury. It ripped the cornerstone out of the defence, and we knew it could end his season. He organises everything. He leads. Everything in that back line depends on him.

Take that out of any team and you invite problems.

Alistair Johnston has barely kicked a ball for months.

That is another key player effectively missing for long stretches of the campaign. Another piece of the structure gone. That is three crucial players.

And that is before you even start looking at the rest.

Because the truth is that this has not been a one-off problem. It has not been a couple of unfortunate injuries that we have been able to absorb. It has been relentless.

Every time Celtic built a bit of momentum, something else happened. Another player went down. The manager had to work around another absence. The team had to reshuffle again.

At times, it has felt like the club simply cannot catch a break. More than once, some of us even wondered if the season was cursed. Injuries have hit the midfield. Injuries have hit the attack. The team has lost key players at key moments.

And yet, despite all of that, Celtic are still right in the middle of the title race.

Two points behind. One point ahead of the Ibrox side.

Still fighting. Still competing and still in with a real chance.

That context matters.

Because when you listen to the current noise around the other clubs, you would think they are the ones who have been battling adversity all season.

Hearts are now talking about getting players back. They seem to think they are in recovery. There is a mental fragility there which won’t be cured whoever they have back in their squad.

And across the city, we have complaints about the possibility of one player missing the run in. For God’s sake. One.

After a season where, comparatively speaking, they have had far more stability than Celtic have enjoyed.

It is difficult to take that seriously.

Because Celtic have not had that luxury. Celtic have had to adapt week after week. Different combinations. Different line ups. Experimental solutions to the same problem.

When you lose players like Carter-Vickers and Johnston, you are not just losing bodies. You are losing structure. You are losing understanding. Essentially, you are losing the consistency that allows a team to function smoothly.

Every change creates new uncertainty. Every absence forces adjustments.

But we lost the captain and Kieran Tierney for Ibrox. Callum wasn’t fit to face Motherwell. And yet the team has found a way to stay in the fight.

That is not something that should be ignored. If anything, it should change how we view the title race. Because Celtic are not chasing from a position of strength.

They are chasing from a position where, for large parts of the season, they have been operating below full capacity. And now, just as the season reaches its decisive phase, some of those problems are easing.

Players are returning. Options are improving. The squad is beginning, slowly, to resemble something closer to what it was supposed to be.

That is the timing that matters. Not when the injuries happened. But when the team comes out the other side of them for the first time this season.

If Celtic have endured the worst of their injury crisis and are now moving toward something like full strength, while others are only just beginning to worry about missing players, then the balance of the title race may be shifting.

That does not guarantee anything. Nothing does at this stage. The only thing that matters are the points you put up on the board.

But it changes the context.

Because Celtic have already absorbed the damage. They have already taken the hit. They have already found ways to cope.

So when you hear the noise about one player potentially missing the run in, or about teams “getting back to full strength” as though it is some kind of unique hardship overcome, it is hard not to see the irony.

Celtic have been dealing with this all season and we are still in the race. Still with everything to play for. Which tells you something important.

If this team had enjoyed anything like a normal run with injuries, the conversation around the title might look very different right now. It might be over.

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