Celtic fans are missing something about Rangers

There is a long way to go in the Scottish Premiership title race and the football season. After the first few weeks though and four matches in the league, Celtic are off to a flying start. Four wins, twelve goals scored, and none against. Plus a 3-1 win in the League Cup over Hibernian. On the other hand, the Rangers lie in fourth place, five points behind the Hoops and joint table toppers Aberdeen.

Sunday’s excellent 3-0 win for Celtic over the Rangers showed the gulf in quality between the two sides. The Hoops did get a couple of their late summer signings on the pitch, but by then it was largely all over as a contest.

Brendan Rodgers and the fans all wanted to see signings that would strengthen the team. With the two new goalkeepers, the return of Adam Idah and Paulo Bernardo, and the four additions in the final days of the window, that seems to have happened.

We've also seen several players move on via loans or permanent deals. But with only Matt O’Riley really leaving a gap to fill in the starting XI.

Celtic fans are missing something about Rangers

We’ll need more time to see how the new signings fit in and perform over the weeks ahead. There are several options now to fill in O’Riley’s space too. The squad looks very much leaner, healthier and promising.

While Hoops supporters will be excited by that prospect, the win at the weekend has opened their eyes to the Rangers team and realise that something is missing. It is from the Celtic fans’ perspective but could explain a lot for the Ibrox side too.

Quite simply, there is no one at Rangers to worry Celtic and no one to get under their skin either. With the likes of Todd Cantwell, John Lundstram, Ryan Jack, Scott Arfield, Alfredo Morelos and Connor Goldson from the last few seasons, to name just a few, all having left, there haven't been the same leading figures arriving. It has gone from a thriller to a comedy pretty fast. And one they have rewatched plenty of times.

The Ibrox side still have their disappointed captain, James Tavernier, still struggling to compete with Daizen Maeda on the flank. Then there's Jack Butland, who saw Kyogo cushion a goal past him from 25 yards out. They have Connor Barron spraying short passes around, mainly sideways and backwards, like an ineffective Andrea Pirlo. Not enough to worry Celtic fans though. They'd almost want a few characters around to make the buildup interesting if not the result.