I watched relegation favourites St Johnstone and Kilmarnock's Premiership opener - why I'm concerned for both

However, on the basis of St Johnstone’s 4-3 win over Kilmarnock in their Scottish Premiership opener, it’s easy to see why these two team were considered the pre-season favourites to face a relegation battle. Sunday’s match, as breathtakingly entertaining as it was, did little to suggest that won’t be the case.

Simo Valakari’s side were deserved winners but a draw wouldn’t have been harsh on them, despite Killie boss Neil McCann stating in no uncertain terms that his team deserved nothing from the game. Following Saints this season looks set to be equal measures thrilling and infuriating, a roller coaster ride the likes of which the top flight hasn’t seen in many years.

As for Kilmarnock, they need to address the issues that saw them ship four goals to newly promoted opposition quickly or risk a bruising start to the new campaign with Celtic at home and Hibs away their next two fixtures. Here are three key talking points from St Johnstone’s 4-3 win over Kilmarnock at McDiarmid Park:

1. “Simo Ball” - easy on the eye but Perth club are a few signings away from full effectiveness

When St Johnstone are clicking, they are a very enjoyable team to watch. You won’t find any neutral fans who aren’t happy having “Simo Ball” back in the Scottish Premiership.

Saints are very good at getting the ball forward quickly when they regain possession and Kilmarnock made it much easier for them by coughing up the ball far too easily at times. However, their current side is pretty much the one that guided them to the Championship title last season and while that will be enough to an extent, they will need one or two additions in key areas to really create a system that punishes opponents.

After going ahead they had a few chances to extend their lead before Killie pegged them back and eventually took the lead themselves and it ultimately came down to a lack of quality in the final third. Jamie Gullan is one who has the potential to finally breakthrough as an established Premiership player while Josh Fowler is getting his first crack at this level and certainly has the potential to thrive.

Josh McPake’s departure has left a hole they’ve yet to fill. On top of that the Perth club could probably do with a playmaker who can sit in the number 10 role and link things up.

The problem is that Valakari’s style is such that finding players readymade for the system with St Johnstone’s limited budget is a significant challenge. At this level, with a potential relegation battle looming, ‘bedding in’ periods are not something they can afford.

That shows why most of their recruitment has been players the Finn has previously worked with and can trust to meet his standards. He has created a brilliant atmosphere in the dressing room at McDiarmid Park but that will only get you so far and they really need to find that marquee summer signing to piece together this puzzle.

2. Cut out the simple mistakes and Kilmarnock can build towards stability under Neil McCann

Neil McCann said his side deserved nothing from Sunday’s match and that assessment is probably fair. St Johnstone would have had no right to complain if it ended a draw but if either team did ‘deserve’ to win then it was the hosts.

The most frustrating thing for the former Rangers coach will be the simple errors that resulted in the home team’s goals with his players shooting themselves in the foot more than once. Aaron Tshibola gifted their opponents possession for Saints’ first and the next two came from set pieces that they certainly could have dealt with better.

Both goals came from excellent deliveries from Jamie Gullan but the second was a result of Ethan Brown letting Cheick Diabate get the run on him at the back post for a first time header. The third just needed someone to take command of the area.

The good thing is that a little bit of confidence, some simple analysis and training ground work and a couple of decent results can help eliminate that. However, with Celtic at home and a trip to Easter Road to face Hibs up next for the Ayrshire outfit those decent results are going to be hard to come by.

We’re just one week into the season but it already feels like there’s a degree of pressure building at Rugby Park. McCann has more than enough experience to deal with that but the fixture calendar is against him at a time when he needs an immediate response.

3. It’s too early to pick a ‘relegation favourite’... but both St Johnstone and Kilmarnock look like safe bets

As stated in the first sentence of this article, it’s never wise to make predictions on a season based off of a single game. If you will insist though, picking Killie and Saints as your 11th and 12th place finishers is probably a safe enough bet.

Saying that Saints will struggle to score goals after netting four in their opener might be cause for a double take but Kilmarnock were guilty of making it easier for them than they needed. If you take a well organised team like, for example, Stephen Robinson’s Aberdeen, then breaking them down with the players they have is going to be a far more difficult challenge and that’s before mentioning the likes of Celtic, Rangers or even Hearts.

Kilmarnock had some good attacking play that resulted in their three goals and could realistically kick on if they can cut out the mistakes and find a rhythm. The problem is, after having the heart of last season’s team ripped out of them, they look a touch light when it comes to depth.

Greg Kiltie got more than pass marks from the loss in Perth, he didn’t deserve to be on the losing side on his individual performance. If he hadn’t been available then Saints probably stroll to a far more comfortable win.

Their new skipper has had a few injury issues in his career which means, while he has the ability of a franchise player, you can’t hang your hat on him. Kilmarnock already need to turn a few things around so they either need to recruit more or some current players need to step up to the plate.

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