Brendan Rodgers has a number of extremely talented players at his disposal at Celtic that he can call upon to change a game if required.
The Celtic manager heads to Livingston this afternoon chasing three points that will take his team back to the top of the Scottish Premiership.
But to do that, Rodgers will need his best players available and thankfully for him, he has two who are the best in Scotland by far. That’s according to BBC pundit, Kevin Thomson.
Discussing the title run-in with Michael Stewart, both pundits were casting their eyes over the Celtic and Rangers squads.
Whilst Stewart believes that Celtic are the strongest, Thomson stopped just short of that but did concede that Rodgers does have two players at his disposal who are head and shoulders above any other in the Scottish Premiership.
Carter-Vickers and McGregor top the lot
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Callum McGregor have been two mainstays in the Celtic team who have been so pivotal to our success over the last two seasons.
Injuries to both have shown just how much Celtic need them and Thomson highlights this with his verdict on both players.
Thomson said [BBC Radio Scotland], “I think the main players they have, I think Cameron Carter-Vickers and Callum McGregor are two of the best players in the country by a country mile.
“So I think that when Celtic lose them they really struggle.
“I would say Rangers have a wee bit more consistency through their squad without having out-and-out stars. And I think that’s why they have a slightly more consistent depth of squad.
“It doesn’t mean I think they have a better team, I think it’s the toss of the coin and I think that’s why the title race is going to go to the wire.
“I think Celtic are a wee bit more reliant on Callum McGregor and Carter-Vickers than Rangers would be if they lost one or two of their best players.”
As I said earlier this morning, Celtic have only lost four domestic fixtures in three seasons when Carter-Vickers is in the team.
The US defender is a calming influence in the Celtic defence and gives the fans and his teammates huge confidence of a win whenever he plays.
McGregor’s nous and eye for a pass has also proven pivotal as the Celtic captain can unlock even the most stubborn of defences with a simple flick of his boot.
He also brings calmness to the heart of the Celtic team and is such a driving force in the Hoops midfield.
There is no doubt that both these players are huge for Rodgers and both, if they remain fit, will have a huge say in Celtic retaining the league title this season.