Philippe Clement looked a calm and collected figure in Scottish football at the start of his managerial reign at Rangers but Chris Sutton reckons Celtic are now making him show signs of pressure.
A lot is riding on this weekend’s derby match at Celtic Park. If the Bhoys avoid defeat they will be red-hot favourites to secure another league title despite all the hype coming out of Ibrox this season.
Brendan Rodgers and his team are exuding confidence on and off the pitch, picking up wins and playing with the media to divert any pressure away from their shoulders.
Clement got pretty wound up by innocuous Rodgers comments last weekend about having “fun” in the derby. Claiming a lack of respect and getting himself all hot and bothered, it’s clear he is being impacted by results going against his side in recent weeks.
For Sutton, it’s a sign of the Belgian being drawn into the mad world of football in Glasgow.
Chris Sutton on Celtic and Rangers clash
Speaking to The Scottish Daily Mail, the former Celtic striker said of the upcoming derby: “There’s so much riding on it. It’s so big. Philippe Clement has now been suckered into Glasgow. Glasgow does things to people which no other city in the world does.
“It’s a brilliant footballing city. It turns people mad – stark raving mad. It gets to everybody. Rangers were flying and all of a sudden they slipped up at Ross County. Nobody saw that. They then go to Dundee and drop points there. Celtic now have it within their grasp.
“Clement’s done a brilliant job to get them to this stage. But the fact they were in front and have let it slip, that’s why I think he’s getting a bit cranky and Brendan has got under his skin. That will be one to watch.
“It’s an interesting game because Rangers know they’ve got to win. ‘In many respects, they can free up. Celtic at home, with 60,000 fans, that’s a massive bonus. But just imagine if Celtic do go a goal behind — the anxiety in the stadium. It can work both ways.”
Celtic must finish the conversation on the pitch
While a lot has been made of media messages over the last week – and to be clear, Celtic haven’t done anything worthy of criticism – the Bhoys must finish all the talking on the pitch.
A strong win against the Ibrox side will end all of the noise surrounding the title race and the challenge from across the city. It’s a tantalising prospect that they can’t let slip through their fingers.
At that point, we’d really see how others do under pressure and who is having fun.