OLD FIRM DERBY:
GREAT DANE ERIK SAYS RELENTLESS HOOPS TAKE IT ONE GAME AT A TIME
RELENTLESS. It’s the first word out of Erik Sviatchenko’s mouth and the last thing Rangers would want to hear.
The Dane still insists no one at Celtic has “unbeaten” as a target for the season. Instead their pursuit of perfection comes by the week.
And he warned they won’t take their foot off the gas this afternoon, not because of who they’re facing –simply because it’s who Celtic are.
The Hoops’ 34-game run without a domestic defeat in all competitions has taken them to within seven points of the title and two games of a treble.
The competition lies in tatters in their wake.
And although Sviatchenko admits he’s surprised their Ibrox opponents are trailing 33 points back in third place, the 25-year-old laughs at the idea the Hoops could get complacent.
He said: “Relentless is the word I would use.
“You just keep on being focused. It’s so important not to get into emotions, just keep our mind-set.
“Keep facts and feelings separated in some way – that is what we are trying to do.’
“That gap of 33 points is massive and I expected a bigger challenge.
“It surprises me, especially after what we experienced last time we played them at Hampden, before the manager came in.
“They were on a really high level. But the gaffer came and we worked hard to become a different team. Now we’ve shown that even though we’re so many points clear, we still keep pushing. It’s just about that winning mentality.
“Everything surrounding our run builds us up because it’s a big thing – buit’s not a target.
“We have never said staying unbeaten for the season is something we want to do – that will disturb our minds. I know it’s diplomatic to say one game at a time but if you want to achieve something as big as this, it’s important.”
Brendan Rodgers (left) men have spent little of this season on the back foot – but Sviatchenko admits the first half hour of their last meeting with Rangers on New Year’s Eve was one of those rare occasions.
He said: “They did really good and we were caught a bit., They wanted to press high and they succeeded because we weren’t as calm and composed on the ball as we wanted to be. It wasn’t spot on.
“After that we dominated as we have done in the previous games. We had a plan and you saw the plan coming through.
“We showed a lot of composure and kept ourselves on the right track. We didn’t panic.”