“FOR me the objective is pretty clear: to continue with the domination of Scottish football and also to make an impact in European football.” Those were just some of the many words uttered by Brendan Rodgers upon being presented as the new Celtic manager almost exactly a year ago. There can be no doubt that he has more than fulfilled the first part of that objective. Making improvements with regards to the second part of that statement will surely be the main aim looking ahead to next year.

This maiden campaign, however, has surpassed anything Rodgers could possibly have hoped for as he was introduced to the media inside Celtic’s Number Seven restaurant on May 23 last year, before being paraded in front of a jubilant throng of supporters who had poured into the stadium to clap eyes on the new man for themselves. A high-profile appointment does not necessarily guarantee success but Rodgers has delivered and then some.

The Northern Irishman wasn’t bold or daft enough to suggest on his first day that he could make Celtic unbeatable, probably on the grounds that even he probably didn’t think it possible. There was no treble talk either. And yet by this time next week both could be a reality.

Celtic need to win or draw at home to Hearts this afternoon to go through a 38-match league season without suffering a single loss. Given there has been next to no sign of them taking their eye off the ball at any point – not even after the championship was won several weeks ago – it would register as an almighty shock were they to fall at the final hurdle. Celtic fans of a fatalistic nature may wish to take advantage of the 16/1 odds available on a Hearts win to partially ease the pain of any upset. The odds really ought to be higher still.

Not since Queen Victoria was still on the throne has a Scottish team gone through a league season undefeated, and even then it was only an 18-match campaign. Detractors will say this is a weak division with no side coming even close to challenging Celtic’s supremacy but to not lose a single match over 10 months is as much a test of concentration, commitment and application as it is talent and technique. Rodgers frequently demands his players are relentless on the field and they have answered that call.

There will be little time for celebration, though, should Celtic become the latest European side to inherit The Invincibles tag. Next Saturday at Hampden they will look to stretch that domestic unbeaten run, including cup ties, to 47 games by defeating Aberdeen to win the Scottish Cup final. In doing so, they would also become the first Celtic side to win a treble for 16 years. Complacency and misfortune have combined to cause previous Celtic teams to fall short of that three-pronged objective and in Aberdeen they will face the undisputed second-best side in the country. Again, though, it seems almost unthinkable that Rodgers and his players will not complete the job having come so far in a remarkably comprehensive and consistent season.

That would lift Rodgers among exalted company. Only Jock Stein and Martin O’Neill have won trebles previously for Celtic, and if the former remains peerless and untouchable given everything else he achieved during his time as manager, then comparisons between Rodgers and his countryman seem more moderate and appropriate.

And then what? How do you improve on near perfection? The famous quote from the late Sid Waddell, the wonderfully loquacious darts commentator, springs to mind. "When Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer. Eric Bristow is only 27." Rodgers is a good bit older than 27 but still relatively young as a manager. What lands are there still to conquer if he can win a treble in his first season without losing a match?

The answer, of course, is Europe. Celtic did not fail in the Champions League this season – reaching the group stage and claiming three draws should count as qualified success – but with a settled team and a year on in the job, Rodgers will be within his rights to demand more.

There will still be three qualifying rounds to negotiate and there is every chance Celtic will be stuck in pot four again when the draw is made for the group stage. But if the domestic scene is going to fail to deliver a meaningful challenge, then it must be in Europe that Celtic prove their mettle next season.

Doing better than this year’s winless efforts will be a goal Rodgers won’t shirk from, having stated as much in that opening press conference a year ago. "First of all you have to qualify and then the objective is to get out of the group stage and beyond. Of course it is difficult, with the money that is around, but you look at Porto and Benfica, those sorts of team that qualify for the Champions League and can make a good fist of it.”

That, then, will be the new benchmark. Rodgers did not stint in his determination to make Celtic a dominant domestic force. He will likely just be as forthright as he looks to advance in Europe next season.