Celtic won’t overreact to Hearts loss, insists Davies

Hoops: Champions staying calm despite losing unbeaten record

Brendan Rodgers will resist making a knee-jerk overreaction to Celtic’s first domestic defeat in 18 months, according to his right-hand man Chris Davies.

The Hoops’ 69-game unbeaten run against Scottish opposition came to a shuddering halt on Sunday as Hearts produced a shock 4-0 win.

While the defeat has sparked tributes to the Parkhead side’s incredible display of dominance, it has also led to speculation Rodgers may decide the time is right to start reshaping his squad.

RB Leipzig defender Marvin Compper has already touched down in Scotland as he looks to complete a £1 million move (see below).

But assistant boss Davies denied there would be sweeping changes, either tonight when the Hoops look to bounce back at home to Partick Thistle or when the transfer window opens in a fortnight’s time.

“I wouldn’t say we will be overly busy next month to be honest,” he said.

“We’ll recruit where needed and some players may move on as the squad evolves. But it’s simple from my point of view – we’ve lost one game in 70.

“If you said that in isolation – one defeat in 70 – then you certainly wouldn’t think there was major repair work needing done.

“The fact is we’ve had a really strong season, we’ve reached all our objectives in terms of staying at the top.

“We’ve qualified for the Champions League and now taken our European campaign beyond Christmas. And we’ve also won a trophy.

“So there’s no feeling that something needs to change. Of course we want to be better after the weekend, but the manager came up here to dominate and he and his team have won everything on offer so far.

“There is no issue. We have a lot of positivity in the players and a lot of confidence for the future.

“We usually make two or three changes for every game, but that’s normal. It’s not a reflection of anything else. Hopefully we can get back to winning ways on Wednesday and kick off another run.”

Hoops defender Jozo Simunovic is a doubt for the Parkhead showdown with Partick Thistle.

The Bosnian centre-back picked up a knock against Hearts and could now miss out as they look to bounce back against the Jags. Midfielder Tom Rogic is definitely out until the new year with a knee problem.