Graeme Souness sounds worried as Celtic focus not in doubt despite outside noise

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will now be fully focused on preparations for his side’s trip to Dundee this Sunday.

Last time out, the Bhoys booked their place in the Scottish Cup final by narrowly edging past Aberdeen on penalties; however, as supporters, we would like fewer heart palpitations along the way this time around.

Rangers lay in wait at Hampden next month, though any talk of the showpiece occasion will be put to one side as Celtic look to build on a run of just one loss in their last 18 games.

The trip to Tayside represents the first of five crucial post-split matches for Rodgers’ men. With a superior goal difference of five, they sit three points clear of their rivals at the summit.

Despite this, Rangers can pull level at the top if they navigate past St Mirren in Sunday’s early kick-off, indicating no room for complacency once the action gets underway against Tony Docherty’s men.

Back-to-back encounters against Heart of Midlothian and Rangers at Parkhead follow our travels, and it would be wise to generate some momentum to take into two potentially decisive league fixtures by gleaning a crucial three points at Dundee.

Graeme Souness on Celtic and Rangers title race

In all honesty, Celtic fans have experienced a rollercoaster of emotions this term following the Bhoys, and won’t be taking anything for granted as the run-in reaches fever pitch.

Either way, Graeme Souness more or less echoed this sentiment live on talkSPORT yesterday, claiming that the reigning Scottish Premiership champions will treat every Game as a ‘cup final’ between now and the end of the season.

He also clarified that Celtic cannot rest on their ‘laurels’ in the title race, stating: “The Celtic players, the Celtic management will not take anything for granted. The minute you get into your armchair in the Football world, then you’ll come unstuck.

“The minute you start talking a good Game, we’ve done this, we’ve done that, you’ll come unstuck, so from Celtic’s point of view, they still have to turn up every single Game they play, and the same applies for Celtic and Rangers as I mentioned for Liverpool and Manchester United.

“Every Game they play is a cup final, so they cannot rest on their laurels.”

Celtic need to stay calm in the face of external pressure

Celtic are in an advantageous position heading into their post-split matches, though nothing is set in stone, so it is up to Rodgers and the group to get over the line by exerting a level of control in the remaining five league fixtures.

A core of players at Lennoxtown have experienced and prevailed in these situations countless times before, and their know-how is likely to be key during the run-in.

One Game at a time has to be the mantra at the club, with dreams of a domestic double still firmly on the table

Related Topics