Rangers may have made a managerial change earlier in the season than they did last year, but it doesn’t change the fact that only a significant dip in Celtic consistency will bring them back into a title hunt.
Michael Beale was sacked at the end of last weekend after the Ibrox side slipped seven points behind the Bhoys. Things haven’t gotten much better for them since after they suffered an embarrassing European result at the hands of Cypriot minnows Aris Limassol.
A number of names have been linked with the Ibrox post over the last few days and they are expected to conduct interviews during the first week of the international break. A new manager could well be in place for the return of the Scottish Premiership from those national team matches.
For Celtic, it’s pretty immaterial who takes over. Yes, there will undoubtedly be a bit of hype and bluster around the new man. We’ll hear pundits talking about how there is plenty of time for Rangers to close the points gap.
But that gap only closes if the form of the Bhoys falls off significantly – and Brendan Rodgers’ side are more likely to improve than regress.
We’ve already seen steady improvement in individuals under Rodgers’ watch – and collectively as a unit since the start of the season. With key players such as Cameron Carter-Vickers returning from injury and the team getting more and more used to the manager’s methods, Celtic look in strong shape domestically.
What Rangers are really banking on is that Celtic hit a sticky patch. But the Bhoys are so far unbeaten in the Premiership and that blip of a draw against St Johnstone is the only black mark on that front.
We overcame them at Ibrox with significant injury issues and I doubt the sole reason for that was Beale. Their squad looks weak with new players failing to impress and the old guard becoming increasingly unpopular with supporters.
So, over the next couple of weeks as confidence flows back into their fans and they have hope for the future, just remember that Celtic are fully in the driving seat here and that Rodgers is only just getting started. They have a lot of catching up to do – and not just in the Scottish Premiership table.
In other news, The Hearts explanation for shockingly low Celtic Tynecastle ticket allocation.
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