Celtic defeated Rangers 2-1 last weekend to move six points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table with two matches to play.
The Bhoys are unbeaten against Philippe Clement’s outfit with three victories and a draw this season; meanwhile, they also hold a superior goal difference over their city rivals.
talkSPORT regulars Graeme Souness and Simon Jordan discussed the gap between the two sides amid the way things have panned out this season and got into some intriguing verbals about the Glasgow divide on today’s offering of the popular radio show.
Kicking off after a caller suggested Celtic were a distance apart from Rangers on the field, Souness replied: “They’re not a mile in front, they’re six points in front, that’s not suggesting they’ve run away with the league. Six points?
“Listen, at the end of the season, when you win it, or you don’t win it, as a player, as a supporter, you look back (and say), ‘Only if we won that one, only if we won that one’ (eluding to dropped points).
He continued: “Rangers slipped up against Dundee, and they also slipped up against Ross County, but Celtic could point to the same games they dropped. I’ll come back to it, if you win the league, that means you’re the best team that year.”
Jordan then stated: “By comparison of Rangers and Celtic, putting everything aside, Rangers took one point off Celtic. Celtic are miles away from them.”
Souness: “Six points would suggest it’s not.”
Jordan: “That’s the league, but we’re talking about the comparison between the two sides.
Souness: “We’re talking about them winning the league!”
Responding to the caller, he elaborated: “Everyone can say that, everyone can point at the end of the season (and say) ‘if we’d won this or won that and not lost that one’, they have won the league, which means they are the best team in Scotland this year. Right now, I come back to it. This guy has spent £4 million on building his squad, this is not Clement’s team.
“I would judge him a year from now if he’s got two windows and he gets support from the board.”
Jordan: “That’s a different argument. With Clement out of the argument and just talking about the difference between Celtic and Rangers, the only team you’re comparing Celtic and Rangers to are Celtic and Rangers, you’re not comparing them to Hearts or Kilmarnock are you?
“So the bottom line is if you look at the argument between us, which is Rangers and Celtic. Celtic are in a different position and are a far better side than Rangers, you say they’re not that far apart, but they’ve taken one point off them, and they might win the league by six points, they might win it by nine points.
“The point is the only comparison is between Celtic and Rangers, not Celtic and Kilmarnock or Rangers and Dundee.”
Souness: “Alright, forget the point. The last three games, I can’t even remember what the first one was, but it’s been 3-3, 2-1 and 2-1 and the two 2-1’s are when Rangers went to ten men, is that suggesting they’re miles apart? If its not the six points you’re gauging it by, then gauge it on the head-to-head.”
Celtic will only be focused on deciding their own destiny
From a Celtic standpoint, it is pointless to evaluate the gap between themselves and their nearest rivals, as the Scottish Premiership table illustrates a story of its own.
Undoubtedly, Brendan Rodgers will have identified room for improvement in the summer transfer window; however, his side has shown grit and determination to climb to the verge of title-winning success.
Kilmarnock await on Wednesday, and Derek McInnes won’t be an easy customer to deal with, as his outfit have taken two victories and a draw against the Hoops this season.
Nevertheless, Celtic have a chance to decide their own destiny, that is if Rangers don’t take it out of their hands by failing to defeat Dundee tomorrow evening.
