Neil Lennon makes ‘massive’ Rangers claim as Celtic told to beware in SPFL title race
Neil Lennon says Rangers still have hope of catching Celtic as long as they maintain the pressure on the Scottish Premiership leaders.
The Gers have dropped points in just one of their past seven games, yet they remain eight points off Celtic with a game in hand.
Rangers travel to Celtic Park on 30 December, and Lennon says the Light Blues must focus on staying in touching distance of his former side to keep things interesting.
Speaking on The PLZ Football Podcast [4 December, 28m 36s], Lennon said: “It’s a really pivotal time of the year.
“Between now and the end of the year there’s 11 games – that’s a massive ask. [Philippe Clement’s] got to try and use his squad as best he can.
“For me at the minute, it doesn’t matter about performances – it’s all about the wins. If they can win well, so be it.
“If they can just keep the pressure on Celtic… who knows, Celtic could drop points – they’re not looking like they’re going to run away with anything.
“It’s going to be an interesting period coming up and I don’t think there’s a margin of error for Rangers. It can become tiring when chasing all the time.”
Achievable
Rangers have known for a while that they cannot afford to drop many points between now and the Old Firm clash later this month.
The draw at Aberdeen last week was disappointing, but the Gers’ have since bounced back and their overall form under Clement cannot be questioned.
Unfortunately for the Belgian, results under predecessor Michael Beale mean that Rangers will likely be in chase mode all season.
If the Light Blues can match Celtic’s results between now and the Celtic Park showdown, it will make for an intriguing clash.
The Gers would be within five points of the leaders if they can come out on top in that battle, with a game in hand still to come.
All those ifs and buts show just how tough a task Clement’s men face, but it is certainly achievable.
It is just a case of taking it one game at a time, starting with the trip to Hearts on Wednesday (6 December).
In other Rangers news, a rival manager has made an admission ahead of an upcoming game with the Gers.