THE eulogies seemed strangely out of place considering Celtic had just squandered another two Ladbrokes Premiership points, but Ronny Deila was entitled to recognise elements of his team's best football during the 2-2 draw at Tynecastle. While Celtic have won just two of their last seven in all competitions and lead Aberdeen by a solitary point with a game in hand as we approach the halfway mark of the 2015-16 season, the forceful, muscular manner in which they started that match was reminiscent of the way they nearly blew Malmo away in the first 12 minutes of their Champions League qualifier and Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic were at the heart of it.

These two midfielders - neither of whom could be assured of a starting spot when Deila took over - scored a fine goal apiece, with Bitton in particular producing the kind of performance which must have had the scouts purring. The Israeli midfielder was everywhere, fulfilling all his usual defensive duties as well as slotting in his ninth of a prolific season from a Calum McGregor pass then displaying quick feet on the edge of the Hearts box to make space for Rogic's second.

If 2015 began with him playing second fiddle to Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew, the last 12 months have seen Bitton revel in the added responsibility to make himself indispensable to Ronny Deila's team. Whenever that pair of Scotland internationals, both on the long-term injured list, return to fitness, the only way Bitton seems likely to be surrendering his first team jersey any time soon is if a Barclays Premier League side comes in for him. Clubs such as Arsenal and Sunderland have been credited with an interest in the player, at sums of anything up to £10m, but sources closest to the player are adamant that Bitton - who signed a new contract to take him through to 2020 as recently as November - won't be going anywhere in the January sales.

“For me, it has been a good year," said Bitton, who also grabbed a couple of goals for Israel in Euro 2016 qualifying this year. "I established myself in the team, I played good football. But I can’t play good football if the team is not playing well. So all the credit goes to my team-mates and the staff. I always want to continue to improve myself but Celtic is the best stage for me.

“I want to take responsibility in every game, even if Scott [Brown] is there," said Bitton. "But he has been missing for a while and everyone knows how important Scott is to Celtic. I want to step up in every game.

"I have always said that a goal is just a bonus for me. The most important thing is to win the games and to help my team-mates to be the best players they can. Sometimes I score, but as I said, they are a bonus." Aberdeen, St Johnstone and Motherwell

Deila isn't out of the wood yet. His position remains a source of huge uncertainty as the club build up for another tilt at Champions League qualification this summer and the wrong result at the wrong time could prove the straw which breaks the camel's back. But if he is to have a new beginning, the siege mentality which served Celtic well on Sunday should serve as the blueprint for the remainder of the season, starting with another potentially treacherous away match at Dens Park on Wednesday. The Parkhead side have playing resources which are the envy of every other club in Scotland, but they are fairly decimated by injury at this time of year and needs must. While Stuart Armstrong and Dedryck Boyata - both of whom sustained injuries in Gorgie - are unlikely to be fit for Dundee, key attacking duo Leigh Griffiths and Kris Commons remain doubtful. There were ironic cheers from the home supporters when Efe Ambrose climbed off the Celtic bench to replace the injured Boyata, but the Nigerian earned plaudits from his manager and can expect a start at centre half alongside Jozo Simunovic.

“We want to win at Dundee, which is exactly what we wanted to do against Hearts," said Bitton. "But we all need to understand that that this is going to be a difficult game for us and we need to be prepared for it.

“Should we be further ahead? If we look at ourselves, we have to admit that we have dropped a lot of points along the way. These kind of things do happen so we have to be at our best in every game.

“We will try to play as we did at Tynecastle for the rest of the season. When we fight for each other, when we do the simple things, we look like a good team. Against Motherwell at home, we didn’t do any of this and lost the game. We just need to make sure we did the same things as we did against Hearts and then we will win the games. Everyone knows the quality we have in the team, but we need to fight before we bring the qualities into the game."