Brendan Rodgers has been discussing the situation Celtic find themselves in at the top of the Scottish Premiership with five matches to go.
The Bhoys are three points clear of rivals Rangers after a horror week for the Ibrox side that resulted in a defeat away to Ross County and a draw at Dens Park against Dundee.
Inevitably today, Rodgers was asked about the new gap and what it means for his team heading into these final matches of the campaign.
The Celtic manager isn’t celebrating anything yet. He knows there’s a long way to go to secure silverware and potentially a few twists and turns to come.
He’s called on his team to remain hardened against the pressure of the title race – there’s no room for complacency despite a strong position.
Brendan Rodgers on Celtic and Rangers title race
Speaking in a media conference on Friday, Rodgers said [Clyde 1]: “Listen, we haven’t won anything yet. We can only do our work because you can’t soften up, especially at this time, just because another team have drawn or lost or whatever. That’s irrelevant.
“You have to perform and get the result. If you come off it against teams that are motivated and organised then they can give you a problem. For us, we have to continually focus on our own performance irrespective of what happens elsewhere.
“We have to create our story and for that we have to work at it – hopefully that will be the storyline come the end of the season.
“It’s not how you start the marathon, it’s how you finish it. For us, we’re improving day by day, looking good on the field with still lots of improvements to make. Performances in the main have been good. There’s a long, long way to go in the league – five games, 15 points is a lot of points to play for.”
Celtic boss nails the title race mentality
This is the exact message we want to hear coming out of Celtic right now. While others toil under pressure, for the Bhoys it’s business as usual.
The manager has to keep these players at peak motivation to come through a five-game gauntlet that includes a huge derby match at home to Rangers.
While Celtic fans are rightly buoyant this week, Rodgers is 100% spot on too – nothing has been won yet. Until the silverware is secured, laser focus is required.
Many players within this squad – alongside the coaching staff – have been in this position before. They know the mentality required. They know what’s needed.
