Health check of all 12 teams as Premiership resumes

Club football returns to centre stage again this weekend, with the next break in the domestic schedule not until March.

Some clubs will have been glad of the two-week breather in order to kick-start a disappointing campaign while others will hope the international break does not cost them their momentum as we move into the second third of the season.

With that in mind, what shape are the 12 Scottish top-flight clubs in as we enter the most gruelling period of the season?

Celtic - still the team to beat

Celtic came into this season as overwhelming favourites to retain their league title, and little has happened in the opening 11 games to change that status.

Brendan Rodgers and his players would have been deeply frustrated to throw away their two-goal lead at home against Aberdeen - but that draw is the only blemish on an otherwise perfect domestic record to date.

They took out their frustration when they faced the Dons at Hampden at the start of this month, securing a League Cup final place with a dominant 6-0 win over their nearest challengers in the league.

Nicolas Kuhn has been a revelation out wide, fully acclimatised to life in Glasgow after a difficult start last season.

The German winger has 10 goals and 11 assists in just 17 appearances this term, and with national team manager Julian Nagelsmann reportedly keeping an eye on his progress, his value and profile have undoubtedly risen.

Rodgers' side now look capable of competing in the Champions League, too.

Their 7-0 drubbing away by Borussia Dortmund prompted a change of approach, and a creditable draw in Bergamo against Atalanta preceded a magnificent 3-1 triumph against RB Leipzig at home.

Celtic look well placed to progress in Europe and dominate domestically even if they do not strengthen further in the January window.

Aberdeen - thriving under canny Thelin

If, after Neil Warnock left Pittodrie in March, you told an Aberdeen fan their side would only be behind Celtic on goal difference come November with 31 points from 11 games, they would have laughed at you.

The scale and speed of the turnaround has been remarkable under new manager Jimmy Thelin.

Fans have flocked to Pittodrie, selling out the famous old ground time and time again as their side churn out win after win.

They immediately bounced back from their chastening Hampden semi-final loss with an impressive 4-1 win over Dundee, and have shown their ability to tough out wins on a regular basis.

Drawing 2-2 at Celtic Park and beating Rangers 2-1 at home proved they are the real deal.

Not only has their mentality shone through, their clinical nature in front of goal has been a feature of their unbeaten league run, as demonstrated by their 24 league goals - almost nine more than their expected-goals tally of 15.5.

Rangers - questions over Project Clement

In stark contrast to the feel-good mood in the north east, the Ibrox stands have felt mutinous at times this season.

Fans are frustrated by perceived mismanagement off the pitch and underperformance on it.

Philippe Clement continues to plead time as he attempts to bridge the gap to Celtic, but Aberdeen appear to be in a better spot in a shorter time-frame... and on a smaller budget.

The lack of consistency in results has led to a nine-point gap between Rangers and the top two, and it remains unclear what Clement is trying to achieve tactically.

St Mirren, Dundee and Dundee United have all scored more league goals than the Ibrox side, which partly explains their stuttering form.

If the mood among Rangers fans is to be transformed, performances and results both need to improve - and quickly.

Will Ferry has been an industrious presence for the Tangerines

Dundee United - an impressive return

Dundee United's primary aim on their return to the Premiership would likely have been to stay in the division, but a superb start to the league season might have Jim Goodwin setting loftier sights.

They have been solid defensively and threatening in attack - a good combination for positive results.

They are seven points above city rivals Dundee, in seventh, and look well placed to secure a top-half finish.

Will Ferry has proved an astute addition, creating chances aplenty from wide areas and getting stuck in out of possession.

Goodwin signing a new deal was a reflection of a job well done so far.

Motherwell - Miller the shining light

Motherwell threaten to be The Lennon Miller Story right now and while the midfielder is clearly a fine prospect, the attention on him is perhaps overshadowing what a fine job Stuart Kettlewell is doing generally at Fir Park.

There is a seven-point gap between Motherwell and Dundee in seventh, and the Steelmen's haul of 19 points from 11 games is a chunky eight better than at the same stage in 2023-24.

Well's defence is the key reason for the improvement, with Kettlewell's well-coached, compact side conceding just 14 league goals.

Only struggling Hibs and Hearts as well as Ross County have scored fewer though, so Kettlewell and Motherwell fans will hope Tawanda Maswanhise's upward curve continues.

He followed scoring three goals in his past two Premiership games with a goal against Kenya as his country booked their Africa Cup of Nations spot.

That does however mean the former Leicester forward will miss a number of games during a busy period in the league, with the tournament taking place from 21 December to 18 January.

St Mirren - Robinson gets Buddies back on track

When Vaclav Cerny consigned the Buddies to their third successive defeat in October, Stephen Robinson's side dropped to 10th, two points above the bottom two.

It had the hallmarks of a small squad suffering after the highs of a season of over-achievement as well as not being used to juggling European and domestic games.

Robinson is a canny operator though and knows his players and the league. So, three weeks later, the picture looked very different after two wins and a draw from three league games - as many victories as in their first 10 games.

One of the reasons for their upturn has been Conor McMenamin finding form after injury, with the forward scoring twice against Hibs when he made his return to the starting line-up.

The Buddies now look good in sixth but are seven points down on where they were this time last term and have scored fewer goals and have conceded more.

They haven't won back-to-back Scottish Premiership matches since February last season but their improved form means they will fancy their chances of an upset against high-flying Aberdeen on Saturday.

Conor McMenamin's return has been a big boost for St Mirren

Dundee - trouble ahead for Docherty?

Dundee's solid start to the season is the reason they sit in the middle of the table and while Tony Docherty will be looking upwards, they might be a team those below them fancy catching.

They have picked up just six points in their past eight matches and are shipping goals, conceding two or more in nine of their last 10 league games.

Only Kilmarnock and St Johnstone have conceded more than their 24 and their expected goals generated of 20.82 is the highest in the division.

And they have injuries. Ziyad Larkeche is out for a decent period and has no obvious deputy while captain Joe Shaugnessy will not return until late January. Goalkeeper Trevor Carson is also missing.

That means a reliance on youngsters - seven of the starting XI against Aberdeen were 24 or younger.

Dundee need their free-scoring form to continue, or it could be a tough winter.

Kilmarnock - focus on defence and discipline

Fourth place last season was always going to be tough to follow - especially with European adventures to distract minds and tire bodies.

Just three wins from 12 league matches and 12 points overall is below par though.

Derek McInnes will have expected more, but will not have needed long to diagnose the problems - discipline and defence.

Four red cards in the league would cost any team - and Killie have also been more porous than in previous seasons.

Only St Johnstone have conceded more than their 25 goals, a result of facing a league-high 182 shots.

There are positives though. The performance in the defeat against Celtic was arguably their best this term and there is fight in the side, with a league-high nine points claimed from a losing position.

They were only four points better off after 12 games last season and with St Johnstone and Dundee next, their season could have a different complexion in a fortnight.

Ross County - home comforts crucial

Solid home form is keeping County out of trouble for now. Only the top two have won in Dingwall this season, with Celtic and Aberdeen both needing late goals to do so.

Don Cowie favours what might be termed a cautious wing-back system, which results in a back five most of the time.

The manager tends to deploy two forwards, which can lead to his side being overrun in midfield. The middle of the park is where personnel changes most often, suggesting Cowie is still searching for the best mix.

Ronan Hale has a healthy seven goals in his maiden campaign in Scotland but has gone five matches without scoring. County have failed to find the net in four of those.

Given Hale's great start, seeing him drop deep to help out is perhaps not the best use of his talent but if the Staggies can keep racking up home points at this rate they should be spared a third successive relegation play-off.

St Johnstone - Valakari bounce gone?

A run of three successive defeats will have supporters worried that the 'new manager bounce' under Simo Valakari was very short-lived - but amid the frustration of those results, there have been some encouraging signs.

Benjamin Kimpioka, Adama Sidibeh and Nicky Clark are all lively in attack, with half of the team's 16 league goals arriving in the past five matches.

Under Valakari there is more emphasis on possession and progressing through the thirds rather than the long balls favoured by predecessor Craig Levein.

However, a frailty in defence remains, particularly at set-pieces.

Problems at the back have been an issue for a while and, while Barry Douglas and Bozo Mikulic have recently arrived, more recruits in that area are likely to be high on Valakari's January wish list.

For now, St Johnstone have three of their next four games at home and could really do with improving on a tally of just three points so far at McDiarmid Park.

Heart of Midlothian - new era provides hope

From a comfortable third last season to second bottom now - Hearts' opening to the new campaign has been unquestionably miserable.

Two things will be lessening the pain for their fans though: there are potentially exciting things happening off the pitch; and Hibernian are the team below them.

Some Hearts fans would also add the dismissal of Steven Naismith as a reason to be cheerful, with the ex-Scotland striker never convincing the whole of the support despite decent results.

The first test of the worth of their new stats partner, Jamestown Analytics, is his replacement Neil Critchley.

He has taken the Jambos off the bottom of the table and ended a run of seven domestic away games without a victory, but like his predecessor he has a lot of convincing to do.

Getting a tune out of Lawrence Shankland would be a good start and provide the side with the goals they desperately need.

Hearts' squad is a lot better than the 11th place it sits in and Critchley will be expected to get more from them before you imagine some stat-based reinforcements arrive in January.

Hibernian - Gray days continue

Eight points from 12 games has the focus on the manager at Easter Road yet again.

The club opted for fans favourite David Gray after the former defender had overseen another spell as caretaker boss following the sacking of Nick Montgomery.

One win in the league as we approach December indicates it has been a highly questionable decision.

The fact Hibs have sacked four managers in less than three years might give Gray more breathing space than he might have had previously.

But he is likely to need something from the two games against Dundee and Motherwell - with a tough match against in-form Aberdeen sandwiched in between - in a week when the domestic programme restarts.

The chink of light for Hibs is their defence, which has been top-half standard - even if they have conceded nine goals in the final 15 minutes of games which has cost them 11 points.

The big improvement needs to be at the other end of the pitch, where only Ross County have scored fewer than their pitiful 11 goals.