The 2023/24 title race between Celtic and Rangers and ramping up to its final crescendo.
The Bhoys sit three points clear of the second-placed side with just five matches remaining. Tricky matches are on the horizon for both, not to mention a massive derby at Celtic Park.
Unexpected twists and turns are still possible. Nothing is won yet and Brendan Rodgers is projecting a laser-focused message in media conferences – he doesn’t want his team to let up now.
Celtic’s strength in this situation is their proven history of getting over the line. The last two seasons have resulted in title wins and there are still players at the club who enjoyed a near-decade of dominance before that.
For former Celtic forward Frank McAvennie, that’s the key difference between the Bhoys and Rangers right now, going so far as to say that the Ibrox dressing room contains ‘losers’.
Frank McAvennie on Celtic and Rangers title race
McAvennie said this week [Football Insider]: “That’s the big thing – they haven’t got winners in their team who have done it before like Celtic have. They have losers in their dressing room who haven’t won trophies year on year.
“That’s their biggest problem and people are always saying that the manager needs to get rid of the players because they’re constantly losing the league. The last step is the biggest one of all.
“It’s all well and good getting to the same level as Celtic, but they’d need to win it. We will find out in the next few weeks if Rangers have that winning mentality – I know Celtic have it. There’s people in the Celtic dressing room who are serial winners – that’s a huge difference to Rangers’.”
‘Trophy heads on’ at Celtic says Rodgers
Rodgers has recently talked up Celtic’s experience in winning trophies too. Obviously, he didn’t disparage Rangers like McAvennie, but he made it clear he values that know-how to get over the finishing line.
In a media conference this week he said: “I think this is the period where you’ve got to get your trophy head on. You’ve got to get focused on what it takes to become a champion. The players here are well-versed in that.
“They understand the mindset, they understand the psychological traits needed at this stage. Physically, you’ve done a lot of your work. There may be one or two players looking to get back in or up to speed, but in general, it’s all psychological now.
“This is the part of the season where this team has been very good, and this club has been exceptional. The psychology of football is always there, in particular this stage in the season.”
Rodgers sounds confident and in control, which is how we like him at Celtic. It’s now up to his players to live up to his wishes and prove who the real winners and losers in Scottish football are once again.