How do you improve on perfection?

It is a question that Brendan Rodgers will have contemplated in his quieter moments in recent weeks. The Celtic manager has constructed a formidable machine over this domestic campaign: there have been one-sided thumpings, come-from-behind victories, and, that hallmark of all champions, a sprinkling of 1-0 wins. All that stands in the way of Rodgers’ claiming the fourth domestic treble in the club’s history is negotiating safe passage to the Scottish Cup. The not-insignificant shape of a Rangers team which appears to have been given new life by Pedro Caixinha comes this month; pass that test and immortality awaits against Aberdeen or Hibernian.

If and, most probably, when the celebrations die down and Rodgers reflects on the season just done, he will spend part of his time speculating on where the pitfalls may come next season. After Arsene Wenger guided his Arsenal team to their invincible season of 2003-04 he signed just three players: Manuel Almunia, Mathieu Flamini and Emmanuel Eboue. Of that trio, only Almunia played more than 10 games as Wenger’s side surrendered their crown to London neighbours Chelsea. There will be significantly less fear in the east end of Glasgow that Celtic will hand their title to Rangers simply because of transfer market inertia but there may be other challenges that Rodgers will have to overcome not least in the Champions League.

What now?

Sir Bradley Wiggins may have attempted to discredit Sir Dave Brailsford’s marginal gains strategy at Team Sky last week but Rodgers is a fully paid up member of the club. To that end, he has already started making home improvements for next season. Lennoxtown resembles a building site as major renovation work takes place with a dome set to be installed (subject to planning permission) to transform part of the training ground into an indoor facility. Rodgers has also requested that a desso hybrid artificial pitch – oft Mark Warburton’s favourite topic of conversation during his time as Rangers manager – is installed at Celtic Park. Incremental changes they may be but then Rodgers has flourished in his first season by succeeding at employing exactly that method.

What does Rodgers do when complacency sets in?

There have been times this season when the unbeaten record has appeared in danger, notably the last-gasp 4-3 win over Motherwell at Fir Park in December and February’s 5-2 victory against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. That Celtic have overcome adversity on those occasions speaks to Rodgers’ ability to motivate his players but the time will come when that record eventually disappears. It is hard to win every week and when it is done, for the most part, with apparent ease it becomes harder still. This is why it is crucial for Celtic to bring in the kind of players who will keep the rest on their toes. The success of such a task will, for the most part, depend on head of recruitment Lee Congerton identifying the right types.

How does Rodgers keep his big names motivated?

This speaks to the above question but pertains particularly to some such as Scott Sinclair, who has a history of blowing hot and cold. The winger seems to have settled well in Glasgow but there is a suspicion he might find the lure of return to England too great to resist. This, of course, could be dismissed as wanton speculation; however, he has recently vocalised his desire to force his way into the England international set-up – an ambition that would be burnished by a regular starting place for a Premier League club. Scott Brown has played some of the best football of his career and is vying with a number of his team-mates for player of the year, so the January addition of Eboue Kouassi will, Celtic hope, serve to keep Brown’s engine ticking over for another campaign.

Who may leave in the summer and where will the money be spent?

The departure of Moussa Dembele has the air of inevitability about it. Whoever wins the race to sign the French Under-21 forward, there can be no doubt Celtic will win the jackpot. Dembele has been a revelation in his first season in Scottish football but with £30 million at his disposal, Rodgers is primed to add quality to all areas of his squad. The priority is finding a striker or two to replace his diamond but history contains a lesson: Rodgers suffered in silence as Luis Suarez was sold to Barcelona during his time as Liverpool manager and he was forced to accept second-class replacements.

Nir Bitton and Gary Mackay-Steven will add ballast to his transfer kitty while Patrick Roberts will return to Manchester City at the end of his 18-month loan spell and Kolo Toure will join the coaching team. That leaves Rodgers looking for a wide forward and possibly a holding midfielder and/or another centre-back.