Now that the title race is well and truly on, Brendan Rodgers now knows exactly where Celtic stand after last night’s Rangers result.
With both teams neck-and-neck at the top of the table, Rodgers goes into Saturday’s game against Kilmarnock knowing that every fixture is a must-win from now until the end of the season.
With Rangers now level-pegging at the top of the league, Marvin Bartley has made a bold claim about how Celtic will react and has fired a warning to our Glasgow rivals
Bartley said [Clyde Superscoreboard], “I think you’re in danger of poking the bear if I’m honest. I think if Rangers say for example, win 4-0 tonight and go top of the league, I think it becomes very, very simple for Brendan Rodgers to say, ‘Well, there you go, there’s the league table go and wrestle your title back.’
“I think it rejuvenates them. I really, really do. You know. I’ve watched a couple of Celtic games recently and obviously the Hibs one as well, where they didn’t look like the usual Celtic for whatever reasons.
“It might give them the spark that they need to hit full flow again. I think that might do it. And I know it sounds weird, but I genuinely think from Brendan’s point of view, I don’t think it’d be too much displeased if Rangers get the goals to go top today because I think he’ll say to his players, ‘Over to you.’”
Celtic fans will be hoping Rodgers unleashes his team soon
There have been sparse signs this season that this Celtic team can be a real attacking force. The 6-0 win against Aberdeen was a prime example of that as was the Boxing Day win over Dundee.
However, on far too many occasions the Celtic fans have watched a slow and impatient style of football that, quite frankly, has been the cause of many of our problems this season.
Rodgers needs to get his team fired up and I believe that his comments in the press all this week have been designed to create a siege mentality within the squad.
Hopefully, we will see a reaction to Rangers’ win last night on Saturday from Celtic and we rack up a few goals to put the pressure back on the Ibrox club who face a tricky away trip to St Johnstone.
In other news, David Martindale shares how he really felt immediately after drawing Celtic in the Scottish Cup
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