ANGE Postecoglou may not be aware of it but his side appears to be channelling their inner spirit of 1995-96. You know - Tommy Burns, the Three Amigos and all that.
Now before the Celtic faithful start jumping up and down and reminding everybody that Burns' team did not win the title... that's true.
They did, however, entertain the masses with a swashbuckling, attacking style of football that is still lauded as some of the best produced in Glasgow's east end since the Lisbon Lions.
There are some striking parallels between the class of 1995-96 and the current bunch, are there not?
Postecoglou has been cast in the Burns role and has much in common with his predecessor. Like Burns, he loves his side to attack, attack, attack.
A quarter of a century ago Burns side lost one game all season and still didn't win the title. Celtic came up agonisingly short by four points to a rampant Rangers outfit who claimed their eighth crown on the spin.
While Postecoglou may not need to look any further for his dream team inspiration he will have to add one ingredient to the Burns blueprint: success.
As Burns himself quipped back then: "When I pass away, it will say on my tombstone: Andy Goram broke his heart."
Just ask Pierre van Hooijdonk his views on the former Rangers custodian in between the sticks. A stunning stop in a 3-3 draw at Ibrox back in November 1995 has entered Glasgow derby folklore and is still spoken about to this day.
There is also the small matter of a Celtic side now sporting the new 'Three Amigos'.
New Three Amigos.. new danger, some might say. But for the 1995-96 vintage of Paolo Di Canio, Jorge Cadete and Van Hooijdonk read the 2021-22 version of Jota, Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada.
The new triumvirate have already taken the Scottish Premiership by storm. Even at this early juncture it's the new Three Amigos who have kept Celtic on Rangers' coattails in the title race.
Sunday is a case in point. A hard-fought 2-1 win at Pittodrie against Aberdeen was ground out with a performance that was more substance over style. The goalscorers? Kyogo and Jota.
Of the 19 goals scored by Celtic in the Premiership so far this season as 42 per cent have come from those three players alone. Kyogo currently has four, Abada has three and Jota has one.
Interestingly Jota is only 22, Abada has just turned 20 with Kyogo the old man of Hoy in the ranks at 26. That represents an average age of 23 among the three with their peak career years still to come. That augurs well for Postecoglou and Celtic moving forward.
The supporters have been used to seeing the likes of Ryan Christie bagging 10 to 15 goals a season, James Forrest notching the same and Odsonne Edouard claiming an obligatory 25-plus for the past few years.
Two of those three have since flown the coop yet the manager has introduced new feeding birds into the nest. It's on these three gifted talents that Celtic's title charge may well rest as they attempt to salvage the wreckage of a poor start and get punters off their seats by playing an exciting brand of football. Sound familiar?
There is now no shortage of flair, style, substance and goals in Postecoglou's side. That is indeed a cause for celebration for the Celtic manager, players and supporters even though it is a heavy burden being placed on the young brigade's shoulders.
Kyogo may well have been an unknown quantity on these shores but he is now looking every inch the bargain buy at £4.6 million from the J1 League's Vissel Kobe.
The Japanese international has become vital to the way Postecoglou sets his team up and ironically the phrase 'Ange-ball' has jokingly been replaced by 'Kyogo-ball' by some sections of the Celtic support due to his importance to the team dynamic. Eight goals from 11 appearances in all competitions are a testament to that.
His ability and enthusiasm are so infectious that he is already being referred to as a 'talismanic' figure. You also have to hand the manager huge kudos for identifying Kyogo in the first place.
He backed his own judgements from his managerial tenure in Japan and he knew from the get-go that a player such as Kyogo could play such a prominent part in his Celtic team.
Kyogo was first-team ready and all that was needed was to unleash him from the wrapper but there is a school of thought that at first glance Jota and Abada may have been viewed as project players. Not now.
Both players have had a tremendous start to their Celtic careers and their best years lie ahead of them. Jota has certainly established himself as an early fans favourite.
The on-loan Benfica wide player is on a season-long loan from Benfica with the option to make it permanent. A fee of around £6.5million would see the Portuguese side part with their asset.
There are Celtic fans who are urging the club to shell out the fee right now is a radical departure from the loan signings of the past.
You only need to contrast the feeling of the Celtic supporters surrounding signing Jota on a permanent deal to, say, someone like Mohamed Elyounoussi last season. The difference in the narrative, mood music and the atmosphere is night and day.
It also highlights the importance of a club like Celtic having the first option on these loan deals as that is something that the club has been guilty of not tying down into the small print in the past.
It's fair to say that with every passing game and influence that Jota has on proceedings a £6.5 million lay-out may also turn out to be a bit of a steal.
With six goals from 15 appearances in all competitions, the youngest of them all Abada has also shown that he too is no slouch in front of goal.
The Israel international is riding the crest of a wave at the minute and while some believe that Forrest will offer him stiff competition for the jersey when he returns to full fitness, Abada certainly seems up for the fight.
The Celtic faithful will be hoping and praying that Jota, Kyogo, Abada and Postecoglou can go one better than the likes of Di Canio, Cadete, Van Hooijdonk and Burns and win the coveted Scottish Premiership title come May.
Because entertainment came at a price back in 1995-96. There are 40 million reasons why entertainment alone won't simply cut it in Paradise this time round.
Although with the likes of Jota, Kyogo and Abada all starring in the team, Postecoglou and the Celtic supporters may well believe that anything is possible this season.
New Three Amigos... new hope. From somewhere on high Tommy Burns is grinning ear-to-ear and nodding his head in approval.
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