Let’s face it, as far as a lot of the Celtic support are concerned, our February date with destiny against Copenhagen has lost a lot of its importance given the nature of our most recent result.
Defeat to Rangers on Sunday put everything into perspective. Europe and more trebles are a lovely bit of gloss to add to strong campaigns, but the league is, and always will be, the priority.
Make no mistake about it – we are in the midst of a scrap to keep our status as champions. That means that our double-header against the Danes, in just seven weeks, is far less important that the league games that surround it.
After our first leg against Stale Solbakken’s men, we host Kilmarnock. After the return fixture, we go to Livingston where we lost earlier this season. That fixture in particular has all the makings for dropped points. And we simply cannot afford anymore in the league.
We may have squandered just eight points so far this season but Rangers have lost less – and that’s all that really matters.
Europa League clashes may be significant in title race
Now, I’m not for one minute suggesting that Lennon should rest players in the Copenhagen clash with Kilmarnock and Livingston in mind. The Europa League deserves our utmost attention, but it shouldn’t come in the way of any league game.
The European competition looks like it may have a big say in the Premiership title race. Both ourselves and Rangers will play at least two more Euro matches, with more a real possibility too.
Whoever deals best with the games following on from those Thursday excursions is likely to land themselves in the best place to mount a winning title bid.
That’s why adding more quality this January is absolutely crucial.
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