With Celtic being eliminated from the Scottish League Cup in the second round, the Rangers were handed the chance to win the competition without much trouble. Of course, they still needed to make the most of the opportunity and they did, with Philippe Clement winning his first trophy in Scotland at the weekend, with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen at Hampden Park.
Earlier, the Rangers had topped their UEFA Europa League group. So, it is safe to say that the confidence is high at Ibrox right now.
So much so that Clement has already been talking about bringing back the title even though he is not sure when it will happen. It is safe to say that all the momentum is with the Rangers right now.
Now, it is up to Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic team to respond. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, John Hartson said on Go Radio:
"When Clement’s talking about titles, maybe he isn’t saying this season.
“But if that isn’t a warning sign for Celtic when the opposition manager is pointing out that he may win titles and he wants to win titles.
“Listen, you have to respond to that! You have to react to that comment and say, ‘whilst I am the manager here, I am going to make sure I go to the board and bring in the right players to suit the way I want to play. I am going to get them on the pitch and stop you from winning titles’.
“That’s the way Brendan Rodgers will be thinking."
Celtic legend urges Rodgers to respond to Clement
Of course, that is easier said than done. Celtic have been struggling in recent weeks. Over the last five league games, they have won only two and dropped eight points, losing the mathematical advantage they held over the Rangers in the process.
Right now, the best thing for Celtic might be to not look at what is going on at Ibrox and focusing completely on getting their own season back on track instead. Because this is a team that has never gotten out of second gear since Rodgers arrived in the summer to replace Ange Postecoglou.
Celtic fans are viewing the January transfer window as the big opportunity to turn things around. But the club need to bring in some proven players next month rather than making further 'project' signings in hopes that things work out this time around.