Those of us who foolishly predicted that the Parkhead side wouldn't win the 2006-07 title were quickly chastened, but although Rangers will be hard to beat under Walter Smith, it's still their rivals who hold the momentum.

Smith's jousts against Gordon Strachan will prove fascinating, and maybe even crucial, as he is already 2-0 up in the matches played between the sides since he resumed command of his old club. But in terms of personnel, Celtic have the flair players. Also, unlike Rangers, they're not reliant on the bulk of their goals being scored by one man.

A fortune could have been made last season on backing Celtic to score late goals, but essentially these final flourishes weren't down to luck. Good teams often have this knack, which is a combination of determination and high confidence. However, it also highlighted a problem which dogged Celtic for most of the campaign, for all that the league was virtually decided before the new year. Namely that, while they can score from several positions, none of their strikers could better the 19 by Steven Naismith at Kilmarnock, far less the 26 from Kris Boyd. Nobody took the brunt of this more than Kenny Miller, an excellent team player but not one who finds himself often enough in the right place at the right time. Eight was his return last season.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink notched 18 and will remain Celtic's main threat even if he looked rusty in Thursday night's friendly at Newcastle. That 4-1 reverse will have irked, especially given the club's good record against Premiership opposition, but there is no point whatsoever in reading too much into non-competitive games.

Artur Boruc had some unaccustomed bending down to do as he retrieved balls out of the net. The Polish international has proved himself an excellent shotstopper for Celtic and it is an obvious boost to their prospects that he remains at the club.

What would have thrilled all true supporters of football was the continued return to first-team action of John Kennedy on Thursday night.

Much like Alan Smith at Manchester United, the young central defender didn't take long to demonstrate that he isn't carrying any psychological scars from his horrific knee injury, hurling himself into challenges which, although sometimes impetuous, let the Newcastle players know he was on the premises and had bite. It will inevitably, as the match revealed, take a while for him to get his timing back.

The rehabilitation of Kennedy is a bonus for Strachan, although the manager is now spoiled for choice in central defence. Stephen McManus, the best at the club last season, was paired with Kennedy on Thursday, while amongst those waiting in the wings is Darren O'Dea, who looks a great prospect.

Those looking for the weak link in this Celtic side will target the full backs. Given the resources in other areas of the team the cover here looks patchy. Lee Naylor had an inspirational debut season, but can he do it again?

On the other side, Paul Caddis was pitched into the team against Newcastle.

The side will, of course, face the rigours of this season without their biggest influence of recent times.

Neil Lennon was an unyielding servant to the cause, as well as being a misunderstood figure off the pitch, but while the former club captain's leadership qualities will be missed, the same can't necessarily be said about his style of play.

Lennon is a master link man, a great player to have in your side when you need to keep possession and keep the tempo downbeat. But it will be interesting to see how Celtic evolve without him, and if there will now be more panache to their work.

Scott Brown is everything Lennon wasn't, and the plan appears to be to pair him with Massimo Donati in the engine room. Quite where this leaves Paul Hartley isn't clear, but one of the mysteries of last season was how much the Scotland midfielder's form dipped after his stand-out performances for Hearts over the previous two years.

Despite Strachan's obvious faith in him, and his own allegiance to Celtic, the fact is that Hartley hasn't looked truly comfortable since his move to Parkhead. Nor is playing him wide out on the right, as happened on Thursday, likely to provide a solution; all the player's most productive work came after Craig Levein started playing him in the middle at Tynecastle.

In any case, that position is held down by Shunsuke Nakamura, Scotland's player of the season and the scorer of vital and inspirational goals. Aiden McGeady's jacket is not on such a secure peg, but like his Japanese counterpart he's another who is good for a late goal.

All of which leaves the strikers, and here, with the acquisitions of Chris Killen from Hibs and Scott McDonald from Motherwell, Celtic have got so many options that it's impossible to see how Strachan can keep them all happy. Derek Riordan has already been linked with Norwich, although they have stated they're not going to buy him, while Miller is not going to accept a cameo role.

Vennegoor of Hesselink is the main man, but who gets to join him on a regular basis is anybody's guess.

Much like whether Rangers can rise to the challenge.