Old Firm set for a cracking title battle
IT’S been a hectic start to the season in particular for Celtic and Rangers and now its time for both managers to take a deep breath and evaluate how they’ve fared so far domestically and in Europe.
Both have lost just one domestic game apiece so overall they will think it’s been a fairly decent start to their respective campaigns.
Neil Lennon’s Celtic won emphatically in the first Old Firm game in early September to lay down a marker to their rivals that they intend to hold onto their title.
Since then in the Scottish Premiership they have dropped five points in the three games that have preceded that win and have relinquished top spot in the process. This early in the season it isn’t really that significant who is top of the pile but the manner of the performances recently in the draw at Hibernian and defeat at Livingston will have Neil pondering why the drop off in performance.
Surprisingly they lacked a little bit of creativity and looked flat at times in both games.
With regards to Rangers the response to the Old Firm defeat will have pleased Steven Gerrard the most. They have won their three games since, scoring 14 goals in the process and conceding just once. This has elevated them to the top of the league, and although Gerrard said after last weekend’s win against Hamilton that it’s only October so let’s not get carried away, he’ll be delighted privately with the character his side have shown.
The next test for Rangers is to get over an obstacle that hindered them last season.
Twice they went top of the league and lost their next game. In early December after going top they then lost at home to Aberdeen and in January after beating Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic and going joint top with them, they followed that up with defeat to Kilmarnock.
So all eyes will be on Rangers as they face Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday October 20 in their next Premiership fixture to see if they can cope with being the league leaders.
In terms of European football, up until now Lennon and Gerrard will be pleased with their progress. Both sides have probably delivered their most complete performance of the season to date in the group stages of the Europa League.
Rangers’ opening win against Feyenoord was everything Steven Gerrard would have wanted. Rangers pressed high and won the ball in very good areas, they played with great intensity and created plenty of opportunities to win by more than the solitary Shey Ojo wonder strike.
Celtic’s revenge win, if you want to call it that after Romanians Cluj who knocked them out of the Champions League, on match day two will have pleased Neil Lennon no end. The energy his side showed was exceptional, their creative spark was evident as they cut through Cluj at times with their interplay, and if truth be told, 2-0 flattered the away side.
The international break may have arrived at just the right time for Neil Lennon after the Livingston defeat so some of his players can get freshened up.
For Steven Gerrard he would probably have preferred to keep playing as his side are on a roll.
However there’s only eight league games gone with 30 still to play in what I think will be the tightest title race in years.
The pendulum may have swung in favour of Rangers this time but believe me there’s plenty of life left yet in Neil Lennon’s side. The momentum will swing back and forth as the season progresses — of that there is no doubt.
Football in Glasgow isn’t straightforward and although it’s the blue half, which is enjoying the bragging rights just now, it can all change very quickly.