Celtic find themselves embroiled in a tussle for the Scottish Premiership title that could go down to the wire.
Brendan Rodgers is tasked with overcoming a two-point deficit, which he will be keen to eat into over the course of what’s left of the campaign.
The Bhoys travel to Motherwell this weekend, keen to avenge their insipid performance against Kilmarnock, where David Watson cancelled out a Kyogo Furuhashi opener in stoppage time.
Nevertheless, Rodgers has to find a way to ensure his players recover, and a victory over the Steelmen would go a long way to building some momentum ahead of the season run-in.
Back-to-back fixtures against Dundee and Heart of Midlothian lie ahead the following week, providing some challenging encounters for the reigning champions amid their hunt for a domestic double.
Lennoxtown product Stephen Welsh has signalled that his side are right up for the battle, stating last week: “We’re looking forward to the run-in. It will be tough, but we’re going to enjoy it.”
Truthfully, there hasn’t been enough fighting talk surrounding Celtic lately, so it is encouraging to see belief is still widespread.
Despite this, actions speak louder than words, making it up to the group Rodgers has available to prove why they deserve to finish as league winners.
Barry Ferguson is still well aware of Celtic’s title threat
Barry Ferguson won’t be desperate for Celtic to win the title any time soon; however, he acknowledged that the league is far from said and done due to the difficult fixtures both sides have left to play this season.
He stated [Go Radio Football Show]: “You don’t want to get carried away and get a slap in the face. Enjoy it. Enjoy it on the way back, but you need to get the blinkers on. Hearts will come, and Steven Naismith will fancy his chances coming to Ibrox. They need to keep their feet on the ground.
“I said last week both Rangers and Celtic would win all their games up to April 7. How wrong was I? Celtic drop a couple of points, but then Rangers have a tricky place to go – Kilmarnock.
“That is going to be a tough one for Rangers but they seem like they are in a different place just now. The most important thing is they don’t get carried away. They have got there but the hard work is still to be done.”
Celtic will continue to pursue the league trophy with vigour for the duration and will hope to hit their stride at a crucial time, with the split approaching in a matter of weeks.
Yes, performances need to improve, though Rodgers is a savvy operator who has come through the other side of sticky positions before in his managerial career.
Taking on Motherwell at Fir Park will be the only focus for now, before turning our attention to other matters amid the prospect of a successful season still being in our grasp.
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