Rangers title hopes may suffer fresh blow as Celtic receive boost, Chris Sutton delighted
Rangers missed their chance to close the gap to Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership as Brendan Rodgers' side came out on top in the second Old Firm derby of the season.
Had the Light Blues secured all three points at Parkhead on Saturday 30 December, they could have leapfrogged the Hoops to move top of the table with a win over St Johnstone at Ibrox on Tuesday 2 January.
However, that opportunity has now passed and even if Philippe Clement's side do manage to win their two games in hand, they won't be able to claim top spot, leaving Celtic once again in the driving seat of this year's title race.
Rangers will need the champions to slip up or come out on top in the remaining Old Firm fixtures of the season to lift the title at the end of the campaign, but Rodgers has just received another new boost only days after the Glasgow derby win.
Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi has not been included in Japan's squad for the 2024 Asia Cup, despite his heroics on derby day and therefore will be available for all of the Hoops' fixtures during January, which will come as a welcome spur for the green side of Glasgow [Daily Record, 1 January].
The 28-year-old hasn't quite hit the heights that he has done previously in his career this season, scoring eight goals in 18 starts, but Rangers fans know all too well the difference he can make.
In 52 matches in all competitions last season, the Japanese international scored a whopping 35 goals. When he's at his best, his goals can almost single-handedly define a Premiership title race.
Clement doesn't have a player capable of hitting those goalscoring heights in his squad, with the likes of Cyriel Dessers, Kemar Roofe and Danilo all struggling for a combination of form and fitness so far this season.
The news of Kyogo's snubbing was greeted with delight by former Hoops striker and Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton who quickly replied via his Twitter account (1 January): "Result for Celtic this."
Ultimately, the winter break means that the players picked for the Asia Cup wouldn't miss too many games but had Rodgers' side been without Kyogo, it would have likely increased the chances of them dropping points and allowing Rangers to close the gap.
Instead, Clement and his side are going to have to work themselves to get back in the race at the top of the table. If they want to win a Premiership title, they can't rely on other teams to do the hard work for them anyway.