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Neil Lennon backing Celtic’s form to reignite 10th title charge

Neil Lennon, Manager of Celtic reacts during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between St. Mirren and Celtic - Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Neil Lennon, Manager of Celtic reacts during the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership match between St. Mirren and Celtic - Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

For Scotland’s cluster of European participants – Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen and Motherwell – the pathway to further progress became clearer after yesterday’s Europa League draw but, more immediately, a familiar situation beckons at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

Celtic’s start to the domestic season has been stop-start as a consequence of the postponement of their fixtures with St Mirren and Aberdeen because of Covid-19 protocol breaches.

The champions edged a 2-1 victory over St Mirren on Wednesday, in the first of those two outstanding games, which put them in position to go top of the table on goal difference from Rangers, should Celtic beat Livingston at home on Saturday.

Such an advantage might last only until Rangers play Hibernian at Easter Road on Sunday but, either way, it would signify that Neil Lennon and his players have resumed an accustomed momentum in their pursuit of 10 successive Scottish titles.

“We’re looking forward to playing at home again,” Lennon said. “It’s been a good week so far with two really good results away from home. We know what the incentive is, and also we’re trying to find the level of performance that pleases us, so we’re very much looking forward to the game.

“We’re not a million miles away. There was a lot of good things out of the game on Wednesday night in terms of our pressure and possession.

“Our pressing was very good, a lot better than it was at the weekend, so there was a vast improvement in that and in our control of the game. We had chances to go three or four up, we didn’t take them and that would have given a better reflection of the performance. But it was a very important three points utilising the game in hand to get the win and get another 90 minutes under the belt.”

The outstanding chance to seal the victory over St Mirren without undue tension fell to Odsonne Edouard with a late penalty kick but the striker opted to repeat exactly the shuffling run-up, pause and placed delivery which had succeeded in the previous weekend’s 5-0 rout of Ross County. Zdenek Zlamal had evidently seen the footage, however, and made a simple save from the French striker.

Edouard has not looked at his best lately but Lennon declared himself unperturbed by the forward’s form. “He’s fine. Odsonne is a 22-year-old player and sometimes we expect a lot of him because he’s a mercurial talent,” the manager said. “I don’t think he’s playing badly, probably not at the level he was when we came to the lockdown, but I’m pretty confident that will come.”

Celtic’s biggest single shareholder, Dermot Desmond, has predicted that coronavirus will have a transformational effect on football, one outcome of which could be the acceptance of the Old Firm clubs into the English Premier League.

“Celtic and Rangers are in the top eight clubs in Great Britain by any metric – support, attendance, international appeal,” Desmond said. At some stage, there’s going to be the realisation that if they want to maximise their revenues, then there’ll be a British Premier League.”

Lennon, meanwhile, praised Desmond’s mentoring skills. “We do talk on a regular basis, so he’s got his finger on the pulse of the club and the team,” he said. “He made it clear and we didn’t shy away from it, that he didn’t think the performance against Ross County was good.

“If you are open and honest with Dermot and straight, you get rewarded for that. He’s a very intelligent man and he’s done unbelievable things for the club.

“If you have him as a support or an ear then it gives you a lot of comfort, particularly in a heavily pressurised job like this.”

Celtic, alone of Scotland’s European contenders, were not in qualifying action this week. Rangers are in the midst of three significant away games, having been in Gibraltar on Thursday and with a Dutch date next Thursday in the shape of Willem II. Between times, their visit to Easter Road is an alluring prospect, as their sequence of clean sheets will be tested by a Hibs side who have made a strong start to the campaign and are in third place, level with Celtic on points.

Fourth-placed Aberdeen have Sporting Lisbon on their calendar, but on Sunday they are at home to Motherwell, who won a penalty kick decider after a 2-2 draw in Coleraine to book their place against Hapoel Be’er Sheva in Israel.

With only three points separating Motherwell, in bottom position, from Ross County in fifth spot, the rest of today’s card has an air of attrition as County meet St Johnstone in Perth, Dundee United are at home to St Mirren and Kilmarnock host Hamilton.