JOHN HUGHES has fought tooth and nail for Celtic in a title race with Rangers before, so he knows a challenge for the flag when he sees it. And this season, he says it is going all the way.
He is perhaps surprisingly savouring the fight being put up by Steven Gerrard’s side, and believes the tussle at the top to be great for the league as a whole, but he has backed his friend Neil Lennon to have Celtic coming out swinging when hostilities resume after the winter break.
Gerrard’s tactics in the last two Old Firm games have stifled the attacking threat of Celtic, with the champions unable to get their wingers sufficiently involved in the action, and Hughes was impressed by the way the former Liverpool captain set up his team to nullify their opponents.
He has faith too though in Lennon’s tactical acumen, and thinks that the Celtic boss will come back from the winter break in Dubai with a plan to hit back at their rivals and wrest back control at the top of the table.
“It was massive for [Rangers] and I think Celtic know there’s a challenge there for the title,” Hughes said. “It’s going to go right down to the wire.
“Looking at the two games, everyone knows Celtic got lucky in the Cup Final, Rangers were the better team.
“I watched the game at Parkhead to see if there was a change in personnel and tactics.
“After Rangers won it I was intrigued to hear what Lenny said. He touched on what I saw, he couldn’t get his wingers into the game.
“Rangers have had a solid shape all season. You need to match that in midfield and I was hoping (Olivier) Ntcham would have played.
“Celtic are at their best when they have their wingers flying down the outside, but Rangers didn’t give them any room to play.
“[Lennon] has really controlled his emotions. I used to love watching him in the dug-out at Easter Road and we can all remember all the stuff. Sometimes he was his own worst enemy, but we have all been there and it is the passion and desire that is in you. It is the will to win.
“His interview [after the defeat to Rangers] was fantastic. He is a clever boy. He will analyse it. He knows himself. It is (Scott) Brown and (Callum) McGregor who feed the wingers and if they are overrun then they can’t get the ball out. He is clever enough to come up with something to make sure that they go and beat Rangers the next time and they are more than capable of it.
“I just think that Rangers at the moment in that 4-3-3 are a bit like Liverpool. They all know what their job is. It has given them that momentum, but Celtic are more than capable of turning that around.
“It is all to play for and it is great for Scottish football.”
While Hughes was fulsome in his praise for Rangers, he does think that the narrative of their dominance at Celtic Park has been overstated.
“I didn’t agree with what I heard that Rangers were miles on top,” he said. “Celtic had two cleared off the line. Ryan Christie missed a penalty. If he scores that, the whole game changes.
“I have played in enough of these games to know how it changes. It is a mentality thing. You end up sitting back in. That is what is intriguing me as a coach and a manager.”
With Celtic now just two points ahead of Rangers, and with the Ibrox side having a game in hand, Hughes says there is pressure on both camps during the January transfer window, with the right signings able to tip the balance either way.
“It’s 50/50 with the history of nine-in-a-row and then the quest for 10,” he said.
“Celtic stopped it under Wim Jansen and it’s on the agenda again over 20 years later. That’s what they are all thinking about.
“It will be massive what both clubs do in the window now. I think Celtic will bring in two or three, I’m not sure Rangers need two or three.
“Gerrard picks from the same pool of 13 or 14 players and it’s a wee bit like how Liverpool play. Three midfielders in there, they know their jobs and you have the two wingers, Aribo and Kent, playing narrow.
“If Rangers are going to bring someone in then he has to better than what they’ve got.”
Hughes may not have shared the enthusiasm of Rangers manager Gerrard when it came to his celebrations at the final whistle at Celtic Park on Sunday, but he was grudgingly impressed by the passion he showed, which he says proves the Old Firm’s rivalry is back to fever-pitch.
“That’s the Old Firm,” he said. “We love it! That is what it is all about.
“I loved Gerrard’s reaction. There was nothing the matter with it. It is a bit of passion and shows you what it means. It just stirs it up for the next time they meet.”
*John Hughes was speaking at a William Hill media event. William Hill is a proud sponsor of the Scottish Cup.
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