Gerrard feeling the heat at Rangers
– Celtic launch their quest for a record 10th consecutive Scottish Premiership title this weekend, with Rangers manager Steven Gerrard (right) under intense pressure to stop them.
Nearly five months after the coronavirus shut down Scottish football, the 2020/21 season starts today with the battle for supremacy in Glasgow as fierce as ever despite the empty stands.
Celtic and Rangers have each achieved nine titles in a row before, but neither Celtic’s European Cup-winning side that won nine titles from 1965 to 1974, nor Rangers cast of stars that reigned from 1988 to 1997, could complete a full decade of dominance.
The current Celtic squad look well set to succeed where those two great sides fell short as the economic consequences of the pandemic have left little chance for others to catch up.
“Going for the 10, it’s historic, it’s momentous and very special,” said Celtic manager Neil Lennon. “I know it’s been on the tip of a lot of our supporters’ tongues and we’ll be going all out to do it.”
Celtic have been quiet in the transfer market other than the £4.5 million signing of Greek international goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas.
However, unlike recent seasons when Moussa Dembele, Stuart Armstrong and Kieran Tierney departed, they have so far kept hold of key players, despite admiring glances from some of Europe’s heavyweight clubs for Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer.
For Rangers boss Gerrard, the time has come to prove he can achieve as a manager what he failed to do in his storied playing career at Liverpool – win a league title.
No Rangers manager has ever failed to win a trophy in his first two seasons in charge and been given the opportunity for a third.
Circumstances have given Gerrard that chance. Even the historically demanding Rangers support acknowledged the gap the former England captain had to bridge when he took the job in May 2018.
Gerrard has made the blue side of Glasgow a respected force in Europe again at Europa League level and beaten Celtic home and away in one-off matches.