The first Glasgow derby of the new season is upon us, and the excitement at Celtic Park is undeniable. Celtic fans are still buzzing from last season’s dominance over Rangers, while their counterparts across the city are looking for a change of fortunes. However, if recent comments from Rangers manager Philippe Clement are anything to go by, their hopes might be built on shaky foundations.
Clement has been reminiscing about last season, suggesting that Rangers were only a whisker away from matching Celtic in their encounters. “We were really close last season,” Clement told Clyde One. “We were really close at Ibrox (3-3). We were really close in the Cup Final. The difference in the Cup Final was that they were efficient in one action and we were not.” While this may soothe some frustrations among Rangers fans, it doesn’t quite stand up to scrutiny.
The facts paint a different picture—one of Celtic’s clear superiority. Under Brendan Rodgers, Celtic not only won three of their four league meetings with Rangers but did so with quality that left little room for debate.
Even in the Scottish Cup final, where Clement claims equality, Celtic were the team with the killer instinct. Adam Idah’s late winner was a moment of brilliance that sealed a 1-0 victory and highlighted the gap between the sides. Rangers, despite Clement’s reassurances, were left empty-handed, grasping at what might have been. There was a weird narrative around the cup final that Rangers somehow dominated, the stats don’t back that up at all.
Brendan Rodgers didn’t just win on the pitch; he won the psychological battle too. Throughout the season, Celtic exuded confidence and composure, while Rangers often looked second-best. Clement’s insistence that the margins were fine seems like an attempt to mask the reality: Celtic were simply better, and Rodgers outmanoeuvred him at every step.
As the new season’s first derby approaches, Celtic have every reason to be confident. They’ve shown that they have the quality, the mental strength, and the tactical acumen to dominate Rangers. For Clement and his team, perhaps they should do less talking.
