It was the first outward flicker of something more than standard post-match disappointment from David Gray.

“Everyone playing at the moment - has the level been good enough? No. We’re not at the level right now. So I can’t keep picking the same players who are making mistakes all the time," said the Hibs head coach, stewing on his team's elimination from the Premier Sports Cup from a chair in the Parkhead press room. 

Afterwards, there would be no poring over Gray's words to find the standout line, as this was a rather unambiguous declaration that certain players are already in danger of losing their places. The campaign remains in its infancy, but three consecutive defeats - albeit two were to Celtic - mean Gray cannot afford to be anything other than ruthless from here on. Hibs have two incredibly important matches against Dundee and Kilmarnock to come before the international break, one that would become a torturously long fortnight without Premiership points on the board.

The glaring issue to address for both those matches is putting a stop to the defensive errors which are proving highly costly. Eight goals conceded across two league matches and a cup outing, with only one scored, does not make for great reading. Gray says he expects Hibs to improve with the increasing competition for places, but it's hard to escape the nagging thought that his defensive additions have been in place since early summer, yet this is the area of the pitch where his team looks most vulnerable. Given Celtic's quality and the vast gap in resources, Gray could, to a greater extent, accept if his team were beaten by brilliance. But aside from Callum McGregor arrowing one into the top corner last (even then, he was afforded too much space to do so), the head coach will feel much of what went wrong for his team was preventable.

Failing to track runners, a lack of communication in key moments, an absence of composure, poor execution of passes, and, perhaps, some tactical teething issues, have all contributed to Hibs' problems over the past few weeks. On Sunday, the timing of Celtic's third goal was just as bad as the manner of concession. After the interval, Gray's side had looked brighter, feeling their way into the tie after Mykola Kucharevych's brilliantly-taken header halved the deficit created by Daizen Maeda's double. But when sloppy Marvin Ekpiteta backpass led to Josef Bursik's weak attempt to clear the ball, the life was sucked from Hibs' mini-revival, and the game petered out to a forgettable conclusion.

To drop two summer signings so early in the season would be a bold move from Gray, but it's impossible to look at mistakes made over the last few games and not conclude the head coach had Ekpiteta and Bursik in mind when he spoke post-match. There's always a delicate balancing act to be struck with players who are seemingly not quite settled at Hibs and in Scottish football at large. Ekpiteta is a seasoned professional with significant experience at a decent level in England. Bursik, too, has played in the Championship and abroad, and both players should probably be cut a degree of slack in that these last two weeks, in particular, have been a baptism of fire. Gray did follow up his initially ominous assessment by acknowledging that while Hibs' issues have largely stemmed from individual mistakes, apportioning blame or creating scapegoats is not the way to deal with it.

“There will be players suffering more than others and not everyone responds in the same way, he said. "Some players will need a cuddle, and some will need to be told straight, but whichever it is we try to do it as constructively as possible. It’s still very early, we want to keep everyone together and try to get back to where I believe we can be."

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It's clear Gray does not want to take a sledgehammer to morale after a few bad results, but he'll know he can't sit on his hands and allow the current trend to continue without making some challenging calls. Those calls won't be limited to Hibs' rearguard, either. Midfield and attack aren't functioning at the level Gray wants, and that's been reflected in the lack of chances created, and goals scored, over the last few weeks. Competition for places is set to become especially fierce at the sharp end of the pitch, too. Kieron Bowie is surely in line for a first start, Nicky Cadden got valuable minutes on Sunday, Junior Hoilett is getting closer, and Rudi Molotnikov was unlucky to find himself warming the Celtic Park bench. Another striker to replace Dylan Vente has been confirmed as a priority by Gray, and that would make Hibs' options on paper far healthier looking than when the head coach was unable to call on an alternative forward in July's defeat to Kelty Hearts.

In midfield, there is hope that Kwon Hyeok-kyu can provide stability in the engine room, and protection for the defence. The South Korean, on loan from Celtic for the season, should, in theory, provide a better balance of midfield profiles, and potentially free up others to better play to their strengths. There's been a fair bit of hopeful 'if they sort position x, Hibs will be fine' sentiment around this summer but there will be no silver bullet for the issues facing this team. It will take steady, collective improvement that won't occur overnight.

Hibs do need to find a spark from somewhere, though, and these next two league matches are so vitally important to doing that. It's little wonder, then, that Gray is pondering whether the only way to catalyse improvement is to make changes.