Former Celtic midfielder Kris Commons had tipped Celtic’s rivals to win the league this season before a ball was kicked but now he’s not so sure.

The player turned pundit believes the departure of Steven Gerrard means all bets are off when it comes to the destination of the League title.

Celtic have been getting their act together, slowly but surely, they’ve still suffered setbacks but Ange Postecoglou has been working wonders.

Across the city, they’ve lost not just their manager, but a whole back room team.

Writing in his column on Monday, as cited by SunSport, Commons said: “I genuinely believe all bets are off in terms of how the title race will pan out.

“I said at the start of the season that I believed Rangers would win it again, and I was consistent with that despite the improvements made by Celtic.

“But the landscape has now changed dramatically. The roof hasn’t caved in at Ibrox, but it’s beginning to creak.

“Gerrard and his entire coaching staff have upped sticks and left. Coming hot on the heels of the club posting an annual loss of £23.5million, suddenly things don’t look so rosy.

“You can’t underestimate just what a loss the likes of Michael Beale will be. Gerrard spoke countless times in the past about how he regards him as an outstanding coach.

“It was Beale who was the brains of the operation. He drilled the team into a certain shape and got them playing excellent football.

“Will the new manager be able to achieve something similar? Whether it’s Giovanni van Bronckhorst or someone else, there’s no guarantee of immediate success.

“Any new manager coming into a club usually takes some time to get their ideas across. In this instance, though, they have to come in and hit the ground running.

“That’s a tough ask. It will also be a huge test of character for the players, because there’s no doubt Gerrard’s exit will have ripped the heart out of some of them.

“As captain, James Tavernier spoke last week of his respect and admiration for Gerrard. I’ve no doubt that’s a feeling shared throughout the dressing room.”

Celtic are still four points behind in the league, a good run between now and the end of the calendar year could see the gap shorten.

The Bhoys must do everything to exert pressure on this Ibrox side. They’ve never won anything while having to look over their shoulders.

The pressure of fans back in the stadium and a rejuvenated Celtic was tough enough, but now their manager has bolted back down the road, it’s made things very interesting.

Celtic are in cup action after the international break. Ange could book the Hoops into their first final at Hampden since the quadruple treble victory. Fingers crossed the bhoys can get back to winning silverware.

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