Talk of a revived William Hill Premiership title race after Celtic’s draw at Dundee United before Christmas was coupled with Rangers closing the gap to nine points has already proven to be somewhat overzealous.
While Celtic got straight back on the horse with a resounding 4-0 win over Motherwell on Boxing Day, Rangers were unable to build on their slenderest lifeline by slipping to a fourth league defeat of the season in a 2-1 reverse at St Mirren.
That is double the number of losses Celtic have suffered across the whole of 2024 in all competitions with their only two defeats in the entire calendar year coming when reduced to 10 men in a 2-0 beating by Hearts at Tynecastle in March and the 7-1 hammering by Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund in Germany in October.
Unbeaten domestically, Celtic have dropped only four points this season and now sit 12 points clear of Rangers at the top of the standings ahead of the year-ending hosting of St Johnstone on Sunday. A victory over the Perth side followed by another in the Old Firm derby at Ibrox on January 2 would send them 15 points clear after 19 matches – effectively game, set and match as far as the title is concerned with half a season still to go.
It’s little wonder then that Brendan Rodgers was amused by the notion that Celtic’s draw at Tannadice on December 22nd should have led to any panic setting in among supporters.
“I think this time last year we’d lost a couple of games, maybe drawn three, so I can’t have too many complaints,” the Celtic manager said. “I heard someone saying the other day, ‘there’s no need to panic’, because we drew a game. That was an interesting one!
“My idea is the long game. I’ve got to look after the whole campaign and get us through game after game when it’s so busy. Until this point, the players have been fantastic. When you think, having lost only two games this year, they’ve been absolutely superb. One of them away back with 10 men then one against the Champions League finalists. Apart from that, the players mentality, focus and drive has been relentless. We now want to finish 2024 in a really good way.”
Celtic’s goals for column is mightily impressive with 48 scored in 17 league matches making for an average of nearly three goals per game in the top flight. But the goals against column is what really catches the eye – and what brings Rodgers extra satisfaction – with just four concessions in the league a remarkable statistic.
“It’s always the balance in identity,” Rodgers stated. “That’s been the really pleasing aspect of the team for me. I like a team that’s adaptable and can play in all the phases of the game. This is a team now that can press, be aggressive, and be relentless within that. There’s also times when they can play on the counter attack. There’s times when they can defend that bit deeper and be resolute. Then there’s games where we can dominate and create. The pleasing aspect over 2024 has been the adaptability in the team to play in different phases of the game. Our intent is always to create goals and score goals. But that also is through your defensive tightness, organisation and pressing. As a team the balance has been really good.”
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