Former Celtic midfielder Kris Commons believes that the Hoops could move ‘out of sight’ in the title race if Glasgow rivals Rangers keep up their recent league form.
It was a frustrating weekend for both sides, dropping points in draws against Hibernian and Motherwell.
However, it is fair to say that Celtic have enjoyed much better form in comparison to the Ibrox side in recent weeks, dropping points for the first time since December at the weekend.
Writing in his weekly column for the Daily Mail, although yesterday’s result was disappointing for Ange Postecoglou’s side, Commons believes it is Rangers who should be concerned with their form, which could lead to Celtic stretching their lead in the league.
“For Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the numbers since the winter break do not make for kind reading. In fact, they are awful.
“Since the Premiership returned in January, Rangers have now played eight games in the league, winning on only three occasions.
“They have now dropped 11 points in those eight games, blowing a six-point lead over Celtic at the turn of the year to now trail their rivals by three points.
“OK, so they got away with it yesterday in the sense that they didn’t lose any more ground. Celtic were poor against Hibs and didn’t deserve to win.
“Ange Postecoglou’s side have got their own issues to deal with after a painful European exit at the hands of Norwegians Bodo/Glimt.
“But for me, it’s Rangers who are the main talking point just now. For all their progress in Europe, the wheels are falling off domestically.
“They are spilling points at an alarming rate – and this run of form simply is not sustainable if they are to maintain a title challenge against Celtic.
“They have been here before. During Steven Gerrard’s first two seasons, you could almost set your watch by how they would fall apart as soon as we got to the turn of the year.
“That now looks like it’s happening again. This has to be a huge concern for Van Bronckhorst. When your rivals drop points in an early kick-off, you have to capitalise. No excuses.”
Since the return from the January winter break, Celtic have found themselves on fine form, overturning a six-point gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership before taking their own three-point lead.
With only 10 games to go in the league, the new few weeks could prove to be critical for the two sides, with Celtic looking to get back to winning ways on Wednesday night against St Mirren.
Currently, the Hoops find themselves in pole position at the top and will be hoping to extend that gap in the up-and-coming fixtures.
