Gordon Strachan, the Celtic manager, said that he was at a loss to explain the errors that have cost the club so dearly in recent weeks. Despite reaching the last 16 of the Champions League for the second season in a row, Celtic have taken only six points from their past five Clydesdale Bank Premier League games.

Ominously, second-placed Rangers moved to within two points of their rivals after a 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday and Walter Smith’s men, who face Motherwell at home today, have two games in hand, against the two bottom sides, Gretna and St Mirren.

Strachan, who had his bid to take James McFadden, the forward, on loan from Everton rejected by the Goodison Park club last weekend, said: “We are functioning not too badly, it’s just errors [that are costing us]. We analyse our goals and decision-making has been a problem. But you can’t practise cutting out out individual errors.”

However, Strachan, preparing his side for the game against Dundee United at Tannadice today, refused to dwell on recent results. He said: “There is no Richter scale for how difficult things are at the moment. And we can’t do anything about what has happened in the past. I just look forward and we are looking forward to the next game. There are a lot of individuals feeling good about themselves at the moment.

“We have the two top goalscorers in the league, [Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink], we have Aiden McGeady on fire, Scott Brown was the man of the match on Saturday. So we are not too bad.”

Strachan remained coy about his quest to bring McFadden to Celtic Park and there is likely to be a further attempt when the transfer window opens next month.

Although Rangers squandered the opportunity to go level on points with Celtic at Aberdeen, Walter Smith’s team have the chance to make amends when Motherwell visit in what should be an entertaining tussle.

And, while their hectic schedule shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, Charlie Adam, the Rangers midfield player, denied that there was a need for a winter break in Scotland.

“It’s great to spend time with your families,” he said. “Players have got kids - I’ve got kids myself – so it’s great to have time with them, but you look back and football is your life and it’s something you want to keep doing and playing and if you don’t have a break over Christmas and we win the league at the end of the season, nobody will be complaining. Players are not really worried. We keep going and working hard over Christmas.”

Motherwell suffered a 3-0 defeat at home by Falkirk on Saturday, bringing to an end an impressive run of five consecutive league wins, but Adam had nothing but praise for the work carried out by Mark McGhee this season.

“He has got quality players there and it’s starting to show that they are a good side,” Adam added.

Jim Jefferies, the Kilmarnock manager, is looking for his side to continue their turnaround in form against Hibernian today. The Ayrshire men slumped into the bottom three of the table after a run of seven games without victory, but they have drawn twice after five successive losses as they slowly bring players back from their overcrowded treatment room.

And, after stopping the rot with a goalless draw away to St Mirren, Jefferies is looking for his side to add a creative spark to their play.

Hibernian responded well to the resignation of John Collins, the manager, with a 1-1 draw away to Celtic, but Jefferies will be looking for his side to press home their improvement.

“It was important for us not to lose because I’m sure Gus [MacPherson, the St Mirren manager] was using as a motivation that if they won they would have gone above Kilmarnock,” Jefferies said.

St Mirren’s next task is today against Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle, a team in freefall after five games without victory and against whom St Mirren took four points last season.