Celtic manager Neil Lennon knew within five minutes of Sunday’s match against Rangers that the Hoops were comfortably on their way to a good performance, The Scottish Sun report.
Lennon has been reflecting on a crucial victory for his side.
Celtic were well worth the 2-0 win over our city rivals, defending stoutly and proving effective in attack throughout the 90 minutes.
It’s one that puts the Hoops three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, striking the first blow in any potential title race.
The manager appears to have been confident of a positive result very early into the match.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said: “The players handled the game brilliantly and you could tell after only five minutes that we were very comfortable. I’m a great believer that tactics help you, but it’s players who win you the games.
“It’s all very well setting them out, but they’ve got to go and perform.
“It’s about getting that balance between the tactical side and the psychological side.”
What does Sunday’s performance say about Lennon’s side?
As the manager points out, it was a mentally strong performance against Rangers.
There’s no doubting our players have ability, but it was so please to see them up for the fight.
From the off, the team had to win personal battles all over the pitch, dig deep and work for each other. That takes a lot of effort on derby day.
Lennon has brought a resilience to his Celtic side since arriving in February. That’s going to serve us well over the course of a long season that is likely to have its up and downs.
For all the hype surrounding the Ibrox side, it was our team who showed again why we’re the dominant force in Scottish football.
It bodes well for our trophy charge this term.
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