All things considered, it’s been a pretty good week for Celtic fans.
Yes, we’re still a fair number of points behind in the league (BBC). Sure, we’re out of Europe. With a harsh winter ahead, though, we need to harvest the good moments when we get them.
A win over Lille showed the depth in the squad. Beating Kilmarnock at home gave everyone a boost. Hilariously, our rivals fell apart in Paisley last night.
They say good things come in threes, but on Sunday, we could win our 12th consecutive domestic trophy. Four is the new magic number. I’m so sorry De La Soul.
Forgive us if you think we’re clutching at straws, here. Still, momentum has to come from somewhere. Beating Hearts on Sunday would be the biggest sign yet that Neil Lennon and his team are capable of turning this season around.
Our rivals no longer look invincible
None of us will pretend that Rangers haven’t been incredibly efficient this season. We saw the extent of their ruthlessness during a dismal, shocking Derby defeat. We were awful (BBC).
From that point on, Celtic looked as if their confidence had been extracted entirely. A win over Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final was the only respite after an awful October.
After that, the Sparta Prague demolitions, cheap goals conceded, lost ground in the league and the horror-show against Ross County.
That Aberdeen result was important though. The 19-20 Scottish Cup, delayed by Covid-19, has been the shining light of this odd season. Talk about regression when a trophy from last year is our best chance of improving morale. There’s something in that for the armchair psychologists, I’m sure.
Last night, though, and against Dundee United (BBC) the cracks in our rivals’ armour started to show. They’re relying on their defenders for goals. Put under real pressure from a team that has a go at them, and they’re out the League Cup. It’s encouraging stuff for Celtic, who need to go on their own run of wins.
Steven Gerrard’s men are just as capable of a collapse as we have been. There were plenty of folk writing off our title chances in recent weeks, but Scottish football is more unforgiving than that. We’ve been beneficiaries and victims of the strange tide turns in our nation’s game.
Rangers of this season aren’t say, Liverpool of 19-20. Their lead is not insurmountable. Teams will be right up for playing them, all of sudden. For them, Saturday’s meeting with Motherwell looks less appealing now than it did a couple of days ago.
Neil Lennon, the Scottish Cup and momentum
Lennon knows how important Sunday is. Even though there’s an odd quiet around Scottish football, given the circumstances, it’s a huge game for many reasons.
It’s huge because it gives Celtic the chance to make further history. Equally, the sensation of lifting a trophy would be massive for a team only just regaining some confidence.
One only needs to look to last season for the evidence. Celtic’s League Cup final triumph may have been against Rangers, and it was in a packed Hampden. The circumstances are, of course, different.
However the lift it gave everyone at Celtic Park was intangible. For players like Jullien, Frimpong and Brown, the feeling of winning silverware was enormous. Should Celtic make history on Sunday, the mood around Lennoxtown for upcoming fixtures will be incalculably better.
Lose, and the rot continues. We go back to square one.
Players play to win trophies. Celtic players, specifically, are in the business of collecting honours. It’s our x-factor, the main thing that attracts players to our great club. Any chance to collect more silverware will be greedily gobbled up and rightly so.
What a difference it would make for the back-end of the 20-21 season. Write this occasion off at your peril.
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