Celtic have work to do in their battle to win the Scottish Premiership after another instance of dropped points came to light away to Heart of Midlothian last weekend.
Brendan Rodgers vowed his side will fight on in their hunt for silverware following an afternoon fraught with controversy amid Hyunjun Yang’s dismissal and Don Robertson’s decision to award a penalty against Tomoki Iwata.
He stated post-match: “It’s still very much in our hands. We’ve got 12 games to go. Nine league games, and we want to be in the cup final on the 25th of May. We will fight for every competition we will be in.”
Despite losing 2-0 to Steven Naismith’s side, the Bhoys remain only two points behind Rangers with nine games to go, courtesy of their defeat against Motherwell the day prior.
Nevertheless, the Hoops have let 19 points slip in the Scottish Premiership, which is the sign of a team that has flattered to deceive on too many occasions this season.
Looking ahead, Livingston travel to Parkhead this Sunday in the Scottish Cup quarter-final before St Johnstone visit Glasgow’s east end six days later on league duty.
Why is this important? Well, Celtic can end the day top of the pile if they can see off Craig Levein’s outfit on March 16th, applying significant pressure on their rivals to respond on St Patrick’s Day against Dundee.
Of course, the Bhoys are still to take on Rangers twice before the campaign concludes, creating plenty of scope for drama in the title race.
Dean Jones discusses Celtic’s chances of winning the title
Journalist Dean Jones has taken a slightly dimmer view of where Celtic find themselves in the league; nevertheless, he believes that circumstances may change if Rodgers’ men show a ‘spirit’ and ‘togetherness’ in the final stretch of the campaign.
Referencing Adam Idah’s late heroics against Motherwell earlier this month as a moment to carry forward, he told GIVEMESPORT: “There’s no doubt those two injury-time goals gave them a sense of hope that they needed. You need big moments in your season, and when they arrive in that fashion, they can give you something special that you cling to for the coming weeks.
“Maybe this wasn’t it, and it was just a flash in the pan. But Celtic fans have to believe that somehow this team can create a spirit and a togetherness that gets them over the line.”
In the face of noise from elsewhere, all Rodgers can do is continue to try and galvanize his side for the challenges that lie ahead in the coming months.
Celtic have a core of experienced players who have been over the course before, and their understanding of what it takes to win silverware will likely be leaned upon heavily over the next nine league fixtures.
For now, we can only take one match at a time, starting with Sunday’s tie against David Martindale’s men, which presents the possibility of reaching a semi-final at Hampden for the first time this term.
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