With six games left, Celtic are past the stage of talking about potential. It is about delivery now.
Viljami Sinisalo offered a glimpse into the mindset inside the dressing room as the run-in begins, and there was no sense of panic in his words. Just focus.
Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren got them back to Hampden for next month’s final, but it also showed what this side can still produce when it clicks.
Four goals came in a relentless six-minute burst in the first half of extra time, sealing a 6-2 win. It was the first time Celtic had hit that number since putting Dundee away in February 2025, and it did not feel accidental.
There was tempo, movement, and a sharpness that had not always been there this season.
Sinisalo, now holding the gloves after Kasper Schmeichel’s injury, had a quieter afternoon than most but still had his moments. St Mirren’s goals were not on him, though there was a spell where things looked uncertain.
He steadied himself and got through it, which matters at this stage of the season.
The Finnish international made it clear the belief is there, even if he was not giving much away beyond that. He said (TCW):
“We will definitely be going for it. There is definitely a belief within and amongst the group and the staff that we can do something, but I won’t say any more than that.
“[We’re] a very tight-knit group, we fight for each other, we’re good team-mates, that’s fine, that’s the job, you get criticised, that’s absolutely fair, that’s fine, that’s what you sign up for when you’re a footballer.
“But the belief is there, very much focused on the next one, not really focused on anything further than that, that’s the only thing we can control, do our job and see where it takes us.
“We’ll take confidence, very much looking forward to the next one. It’s all you can do, you can’t really control anything else other than that, and that’s very much the mentality, it’s going to stay like that.”
It is the right message, but it needs to be backed up quickly.
There is no getting away from it. Celtic have left themselves work to do in the league. Three points off the top with six to play is not a comfortable position, especially given how tight this has become.
Sunday showed they can still find another level. The question now is whether that level can be sustained when the pressure is firmly on over the next month.
The split starts this weekend, with Falkirk heading to Celtic Park on Saturday evening. Kick-off is at 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports.
No room for drift now. Not in the league, and not with a cup final on the horizon.
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