Joe Hart sends ‘focused’ title message as Celtic prepare for decisive league fixtures

Celtics are into the nitty gritty regarding the Scottish Premiership season as they await the announcement of their post-split fixtures.

Brendan Rodgers has enjoyed a rollercoaster ride since being re-installed at Parkhead last summer; however, the Irishman will now fully focus on claiming a third successive league title.

With five matches left to go in the Scottish top-flight, Celtic retain a four-point advantage at the summit; nevertheless, Rangers can close the gap to a solitary point if they defeat Dundee on Wednesday, which is their game in hand.

On the face of it, the theory that you would rather have points on the board in a title race, as opposed to games in hand, was proven yesterday, as our rivals endured an embarrassing slip-up at Ross County amid their shock 3-2 defeat in the Highlands.

Putting that to one side, Celtic fans won’t be getting ahead of themselves, and neither will the players, given we still have five difficult post-split matches yet to come.

Reports earlier today state that we need to wait until after Dundee vs Rangers is concluded ahead of any confirmation of who we may play, in light of the extremely slim chance the Dees move into fifth should they annihilate Rangers by a five-goal margin on Wednesday.

Joe Hart issues ‘focused’ message regarding Celtic’s title hopes

One man who has extensive experience in fighting for titles is Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart, who has won two Premier League trophies with Manchester City and another two Scottish Premiership medals north of the border.

Of course, the former England international confirmed his retirement from football at the end of the season. However, if his assessment of what his current employers need to win three in a row is anything to go by, he hasn’t lost a shred of professionalism.

Hart explained [Football Scotland]: “What will it take in the remaining games? Just stay in our lane, stay focused. Drawing on the power of a club which is used to winning things and not being intimidated by that.

“Learning from that, with the boys who haven’t done it, learning from the boys who have. Just encouraging people that we have some simple tasks ahead of us.

“We said it before the St Mirren Game, and we keep saying it, we don’t just rock up on Saturdays. We work really hard through the week to have a way of playing and to have solutions when people do make it tough for us. So we just need to rely on the hard work we have done all season and come good at the right time.

“This is a big week. We have the Scottish Cup, and you don’t want any pressure off. It was hard not being involved in the League Cup, but we got beat fair and square at Kilmarnock, and we had to move on. This is a competition we want to be involved into the very end.

“We want to be there on May 25. It was hard not being involved in the League Cup, but we got beaten fair and square at Killie.”

Celtic know they have their title destiny under internal control

Celtic find themselves in a coMMAnding position with five fixtures left to play, and psychologically, the picture has shifted ever so slightly heading into the post-split period.

For now, our destiny remains under internal control; meanwhile, it is refreshing to see Hart downplay any talk of complacency in the camp as Rodgers’ men strive towards making 2023/24 a successful season.

The Bhoys are set for an exciting end to the campaign, and adopting a Game-by-Game mantra is likely to be the only matter on everyone connected with the club’s mind to ensure we get over the line.

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