AFTER an incredible year when no side could touch them domestically, it seems complacency will be Celtic’s most dangerous opponent in the season ahead. Brendan Rodgers set the bar so high in his maiden campaign as manager that it is effectively impossible for his squad to surpass last year’s achievements. Winning the treble without losing a game to Scottish opposition is a feat that had never been managed before and will almost certainly never be done again.

Nobody at Celtic expects to go through another season without at least one blemish on their domestic record, and whichever side claims that first win over last year’s Invincibles will likely celebrate it with giddy abandon. It will also be intriguing to witness just how Rodgers reacts in adversity when Celtic do finally lose a league or cup match. Will he be angry, frustrated or simply stoically philosophical? Nobody has seen that side of him yet after a domestic match but we ought to find out at some point over the next 10 months.

If another unbeaten campaign is unrealistic then everything else remains on the table for Celtic. Their seventh league title in a row will be effectively a formality – Rangers chairman Dave King will insist it is only their third – while both domestic cups will be in their sights, too. No Scottish side has won back-to-back trebles and, as they strive to find ways of inducing incremental improvement from a lofty starting point, breaking that record will be in Celtic’s sights from the first day of the season.

Given his propensity for making existing players better, Rodgers has had little need to bring in many summer reinforcements. Jonny Hayes offers versatility in the wide areas and knows the demands of the league, while Olivier Ntcham will bring greater dynamism in midfield as Nir Bitton fades to the fringes. Another centre-half and a striker, given Moussa Dembele’s injury, ought to still be on Rodgers’ shopping list. Patrick Roberts could also yet return from Manchester City.

A previously bloated squad has been trimmed of many of its fringe elements, with no first-team regulars heading out the door as yet. That may change should Stuart Armstrong continue to prevaricate over his contract extension or interest in Dembele escalates despite his injury. Rodgers’ famed man-management skills could well be tested on both fronts.

Who will provide the biggest threat to Celtic’s domestic dominance is less clear cut. Rangers had been expected to do so last year in their first season back in the top division but proved to be woefully ill-prepared despite the chest-beating hubris about “Going for 55”. There will surely be no such triumphalist outpouring ahead of this campaign but predicting how Rangers will fare is very much a finger-in-the-air scenario.

Manager Pedro Caixinha has evidently decided he will flourish or fail on his own terms and has not stinted in making changes to his squad. To date nine new players have come in and seven gone out, with hopes of a smooth transition dashed by that embarrassingly early European exit to Luxembourgish opposition.

With Rangers not involved in the Betfred Cup group stage, there is a danger of going into the new season woefully under-cooked, although friendly games against Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday at least allow the new players a chance to find their feet.

Caixinha, himself, remains a man very much under the microscope. That Europa League exit, on the back of a thumping 5-1 loss to Celtic at Ibrox and a first home defeat to Aberdeen for 26 years, have many unconvinced he is the man for the long haul. The bookmakers agree, making the Portuguese favourite to be the first Premiership manager to get his jotters this season.

Second on that list is Ian Cathro, another head coach without his troubles to seek. There has rarely been a figure as divisive as the young Scot, with some hailing him as a football visionary and others considering his rise to be another Emperor’s New Clothes-style example of people simply seeing something that isn’t there.

Regardless of opinion, the irrefutable facts show Hearts have not been as effective since Cathro replaced Robbie Neilson as manager in December. A run of just eight wins from 29 matches includes a Scottish Cup exit to Hibernian, taking one point from their five post-split games and, this season, a cup defeat to League Two’s Peterhead.

Cathro, backed by sporting director Craig Levein, rolled the dice in January and overhauled the squad to little avail. Now he has had another stab at it. Christophe Berra and Kyle Lafferty look an upgrade on what went before them, their arrivals offset by a raft of departures including, most notably, Callum Paterson and Sam Nicholson. For both Cathro and Caixinha, a strong start to the season is imperative.

Aberdeen, then, will start as favourites to land the best-of-the-rest title for a fourth successive season. Hanging on to manager Derek McInnes was a major coup although, like Celtic, it will be difficult to surpass last year’s achievements of second spot and runner-up in both cup competitions.

They have recruited well after losing key figures such as Hayes, Niall McGinn, Ash Taylor, and Ryan Jack. Greg Tansey, Gary Mackay-Steven and Kari Arnason all look impressive acquisitions, while Ryan Christie and Greg Stewart show gems can be found in the loan market. Should Celtic slip up in one of the cups, then bringing a trophy back to Pittodrie is certainly a realistic goal for McInnes and his players.

That no English club has tried to entice Tommy Wright away has become an annual mystery – not that St Johnstone fans are complaining. The loss of Danny Swanson will be keenly felt but a top-six place and European football will again be the targets, with confidence emboldened by the capture of Stefan Scougall and the return of Michael O’Halloran on loan from Rangers, among others.

Hibernian, of course, will start the season with similar objectives. Restored to top-tier football at the third time of asking, it will be interesting to see how quickly Neil Lennon’s side adjust to the step up. The loss of striker Jason Cummings seems at first glance heavily debilitating, although it should be acknowledged that he departs having never scored a regular-season Premiership goal. The signing of Swanson, Simon Murray, Efe Ambrose, Ofir Marciano and Steven Whittaker bolster Lennon’s options, while holding on to John McGinn will also be key.

At the foot of the table, Hamilton will begin their annual quest to make pundits and tipsters look foolish by scrapping their way to safety, while Lanarkshire rivals Motherwell may also find themselves toiling around that end of the table, too.

The Neil McCann farrago at Dundee remains an intriguing business, while Kilmarnock have similarly placed their faith in another interim manager and entrusted Lee McCulloch to take them forward. Lee Erwin’s arrival should ease the goalscoring burden on Kris Boyd. A mid-table spot seems their more most likely resting place.

There they will likely encounter Partick Thistle – unlikely to repeat last year’s top-six finish given Hibs’ return – and a Ross County side deprived of their derby matches following Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s demotion. It ought to be another fascinating campaign. Scottish football may have its flaws but it is rarely dull.