Celtic’s renewed threat increases Old Firm pressure on Rangers | Scottish Premiership

THere it feels inevitable that Celtic will win – or at least not lose – the first Old Firm meeting of the season. What follows after the dust settles on a crash, bang, wallop occasion at Celtic Park is more surprising – outbursts of wit and sensitivity from both sides of Glasgow’s football division.

Brendan Rodgers seems to have realised that the world outside Scotland will shrug its shoulders if Celtic win on the domestic stage. The manager has made Champions League competitiveness, or progression, the top of his aspirations for this campaign. He has made it clear that he wants his team to aim for a play-off spot in the new format.

This attitude is long overdue: Celtic have been number one in Europe for more than a decade. “We don’t just want to compete,” says Rodgers. The manager is “excited” about the challenge rather than resenting it.

Looking beyond parochialism is not only essential to keep Rodgers motivated, but also sensible in terms of an uneven financial playing field. Celtic warmed up for the visit of Rangers by brushing aside St Mirren. In their last published accounts, the Paisley outfit had recorded a turnover of £5.7m. Celtic have bolstered their squad by signing Adam Idah from Norwich for over £8m and Arne Engels from Augsburg for £10m.

The loss of Matt O’Riley to Brighton will be felt in the short term, but it’s worth remembering that Celtic did little in Europe with the midfielder in the squad anyway. O’Riley is an example of how Celtic’s much-criticised recruitment policy can pay off – when a £1.6m signing was sold for almost £30m – and why Rodgers can afford to get a few of his signings wrong.

Celtic were unconvincing last season, but now, with Rodgers and his ideology fully embedded, they look threatening again. Celtic’s pressure has been particularly strong so far. “We’re in a really, really good position as a team,” says Rodgers. “We’ve had three shots against us in three games, which shows how well the team works together. But these are different games, emotionally. It’s going to be a tough game.”

Philippe Clement has no such freedom in the transfer market. It is common sense that the people in the Rangers boardroom are no longer prepared to plug financial holes, but the impact on the pitch is huge. While Rangers tried to loan players in August and tried to offload overpaid underachievers, it feels like Clement has a water pistol to Rodgers’ AK-47.

The ghosts of former Rangers managers show that an away game in the early stages of the season causes major problems. In the case of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, there is no question of recovery after a 4-0 defeat.

There is no danger of Clement losing his job, even if Celtic are playing with their biggest rivals. Rangers’ position now is that it is time to stop chopping and changing dugout personalities. There are questions surrounding the Belgian, including his tactical inflexibility, but Rangers can reasonably judge that there are no better qualified coaches who would be keen to take on a role where second best looks as good as it gets.

Clement’s dedication to Rangers is not as remarkable as many might think. This is a huge club in a great city, where success brings admiration. He also has a level of power and control not available at many clubs of similar stature. The manager is empowered because his paymasters are so desperate to see him rebuild the playing side of a club that has been epitomised by waste.

The match will again take place without away fans, in a clear but ignored breach of Scottish Professional Football League rule I27. Celtic may be within their rights to refuse to allocate tickets, apparently out of concern that Ibrox will not be properly upgraded to accommodate away fans in January, but the matter is difficult to properly assess until someone from the champions has spoken out on the matter.

Celtic’s message is delivered through unaccountable briefings rather than interviews with, say, the CEO. Their approach is so weak from a supposedly big club. On the pitch, however, Rodgers has applied the right focus. Celtic are desperate to beat Rangers, while knowing that the time has come to be judged in much loftier settings.