Compete with the elite
John: Bren holds keys to title but now he must..
JOHN BARNES believes Celtic are poised to win the title and book another automatic spot into the Champions League.
But the former Parkhead boss fears the days of seeing his old club regularly mixing with Europe’s elite are now under serious threat.
Barnes saw two of his ex-employers suffer contrasting fortunes during a weekend of major change in the league races north and south of the border.
While Liverpool’s slip has handed Manchester City the initiative, Celtic landed a big boost in their tilt for the Scottish crown with a win over St Mirren being followed by Rangers’ disaster in Dingwall as the Light Blues lost to Ross County.
Barnes believes Gers’ shock reverse has put Brendan Rodgers’ side into a powerful position they will not squander.
The former England winger, who managed the Parkhead club for just 29 games in 1999, said: “At the moment Celtic have the advantage and I don’t expect them to slip up.
“If you look at Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City, the team that was on top has changed week to week.
“It’s a similar situation in Scotland and if Rangers had beaten Motherwell a few weeks ago then you’d have to say that they would be strong favourites.
“You really expect Celtic and Rangers to win most of their matches and now Celtic are in the driving seat but Rangers have been in it before.
“Whoever has the advantage holds the keys to the title. So it’s advantage Celtic.”
Although Rodgers was unable to get over the title line during his time in charge at Anfield he has done the business already for the Hoops.
The Irishman claimed two titles and put his team into position again before departing for Leicester in March 2019 and leaving Neil Lennon to complete the mission.
Rodgers is now back and with five games remaining in the Premiership after the split, knows the destination of the trophy is in his own hands.
Barnes doesn’t believe the previous of the Celtic manager at going over the course and distance will offer any significant advantage.
But he is convinced the final Old Firm meeting of the season in Glasgow’s East End will be decisive.
Celtic have taken two wins and a draw from the previous three derbies and Barnes said: “I don’t think the experience Brendan has had will necessarily give him an advantage over Philippe Clement.
“Both clubs should win the matches they have. And then it will come down to the clash between them.”
Should Celtic go on and complete their task in the Premiership it will be a 12th title in 14 years.
In the past two seasons Celtic have been able to earn direct entry to the group stage of the Champions League due to their title wins.
It will be the same next season for Rodgers and his men should they seal the deal and secure this term’s flag. However, due to a dropping of coefficient, the automatic spot for Scotland’ champions is set to evaporate in season 2025-26.
Viktoria Plzen’s goalless draw against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League last week means the Czech Republic have overtaken Scotland in the UEFA rankings.
The Scottish champions will now have to enter the Champions League in a play-off round against a side from outside the top 10 European leagues. Losing out on Europe’s premier tournament would be a hammer blow to Scotland’s Premiership winners with the financial rewards massive.
More than £60million can be earned from taking part in the group stage and the damage to the club’s reputation would also sting.
The prestige of being part of the Champions League proper is massive for clubs such as Celtic and, as well as the money, offers a big attraction to potential signings. Barnes
It’s difficult to compete for best players financially which impacts on how they compete in Champions League JOHN BARNES
knows it could have a big effect on the clubs’ ability to compete in the future if they start to miss out on the riches, with a gulf in finances already evident between the continent’s major powers and the representatives from smaller nations.
Speaking to Genting Casino, he added: “There is a very strong possibility that the Champions League could kick off properly without one of Celtic or Rangers in there.
“Scottish clubs have always had difficulty mixing it with the best teams in Europe, even when they were more financially competitive.
“There were periods of course where Rangers and Celtic were competitive.
“I’m thinking about Graeme Souness’ teams that had some big players in because they had a bit of money to spend and then Celtic under Martin O’Neill and Gordon Strachan.
“The issue is it’s incredibly difficult for Celtic and Rangers to compete for the best players on a financial level, which has an impact on how well the clubs can perform in the Champions League.
“Nothing personal against Celtic or Rangers but there are a lot of other clubs from European coefficients that have the same problem, it’s just that these clubs generally aren’t the size of Celtic and Rangers.
“It’s unfortunate for Scottish football and it would be a worry from a financial perspective if neither club made it into the Champions League proper.
“Unfortunately, with the rules as they are, it’s the nature of the beast.”