Gap closing but Hoops still the benchmark
If Celtic’s uncharacteristically sloppy display against Valencia has provided Steve Clarke with encouragement for today’s encounter at Rugby Park, he does a good job of disguising it.
Looking ahead to the clash between his men and Brendan Rodgers’ side, the Kilmarnock boss insisted they remain very much the benchmark for all Scottish clubs.
“Celtic are a top team and they set the standard,” he said.
“It would be wrong of me to talk them down and say they made mistakes against Valencia.
“If you follow European football at all, then you will know Valencia are a tough team to play against.
“I thought the first 25 minutes or so were good. Celtic started brightly and tried to get at them, but Valencia held their shape well and started to show a threat going forward.
“The goal before half-time was a killer and made the second half more difficult for Celtic.
“But we respect Celtic, they have been the standard here for a number of years and teams need to work hard to close that gap.
“I think the gap is closing – even in the short time I have been here – between Celtic and the rest. That has made it a more interesting league this season, but they are still the benchmark for the rest of us.”
It is an argument supported by the Hoops’ 5- 1 victory over Killie at Celtic Park back in December, a result which silenced the talk of the time of Killie “doing a Leicester”.
Talk which, to be fair, Clarke insists emanated from outside the Rugby Park club.
“No one here spoke about titles or title challenges,” he said.
“We are realistic here and we understand what we can and can’t do.
“The game there was a disappointment for us, but sometimes in a long season you get disappointments and it is about how you bounce back from that.
“We have managed to do that very well. We aim to be more competitive in this game than we were in the last one.
“It is a big game for us, of course. But it is still the same three points you get.”