It’s one of those fantastic post-derby days when being a Celtic fan is especially enjoyable.
The Bhoys picked up their third victory of the season over Rangers on Saturday. Celtic are now on the brink of lifting a third successive Scottish Premiership title.
Brendan Rodgers continues to be the top dog in this rivalry, getting the job done on the park and taking no prisoners on media duties either.
His comments about having “fun” against Rangers last week really got into the heads of the Ibrox camp, including Philippe Clement’s. The Rangers boss lost his cool when he accused Rodgers of lacking respect with his quip. It was a sure sign the pressure was getting to the Belgian.
Dalglish reckons that fun comment was justified considering what he witnessed at Celtic Park on Saturday, noting how well the Bhoys controlled and picked apart the visitors.
Kenny Dalglish on Celtic beating Rangers
Writing in his Sunday Post column, the Celtic legend said: “Ahead of yesterday’s Old Firm game, Brendan Rodgers said that his team would try and have a bit of fun. Well, they certainly did. The victory has all but tied up yet another title and Celtic deserved their 2-1 win.
“The home team dominated from early on and were on the front foot. James Forrest and Daizen Maeda were lively and direct on the wings. Inside, Callum Mcgregor and Matt O’Riley were superb. Callum, yet again, controlled the flow of the game.
“Matt then picked his moments to probe and pressurise the Rangers backline. He got his goal from timing a penetrative run to perfection. Three Ibrox players failed to match him and he punished them by drilling home a lovely finish from 16 yards.”
Brendan Rodgers is a derby specialist
Dalglish then went on to sum up the gulf between the two sides in this fixture across the 2023/24 campaign. Rodgers has their number and everyone knows it.
He continued: “That’s four derby games in the league this season and Celtic have taken 10 points. It’s a brilliant return from Brendan and his players. It’s why they will be crowned Champions at some stage this week. They will make it three-in-a-row.
“They haven’t always been pleasing on the eye this season but they have turned it on when it matters. Brendan has the experience to know how to handle this kind of fixture and how to get the best out of his players for such an important 90 minutes. Philippe now has to find a way to do this. And he needs to find solutions quickly.”
The reality for Clement is that his Rangers side are no closer to Celtic now than when he arrived. With a big summer transfer window ahead, where the Bhoys have far more resources than their rivals do, it will be very tough for him to close the gap.
Rodgers now has the platform to improve the Bhoys further with more control at the club and a clear plan to push on from a position of strength rather than transition from another manager. It must be very worrying for them.
