Celtic and Rangers will resume their battle once again next season when the new campaign kicks off in August.
Martin O’Neill has interestingly claimed that Rangers can push Celtic to perform better as he ‘did get a sense’ last season that Steven Gerrard’s side were ‘getting stronger’.
Celtic have dominated the Scottish domestic circuit in recent seasons, but the arrival of former England international Gerrard in the Ibrox dugout last summer has added a bit of spark and spice to proceedings.
Despite the Bhoys clinching their eighth straight Scottish Premiership crown, many felt that Rangers showed improvements under Gerrard, with his team beating their Old Firm rivals on two occasions last term.
Parkhead legend O’Neill made it clear that Celtic’s recent dominance isn’t their fault, but he does think an improving and dangerous Rangers can get the best out of their neighbours.
On Celtic’s dominance: “The main thing is that it really isn’t Celtic’s problem,” said O’Neill, as quoted by the Daily Record. “You can only beat who is put in front of you and it is not their responsibility to do anything other than go out and be as successful as they possibly can be.
“But over the last season, I did get a sense that Rangers were maybe getting a little bit stronger. And that’s no bad thing. If they get a better presence then I actually think that it helps Celtic because it pushes you, it makes you look over your shoulder and keeps you on your toes.
“I’ll say again that Celtic being the dominant force is not their fault. They have been a club that has been exceptionally well run – but I do think a stronger Rangers pushes them on that extra bit. And that really helps if you are wanting to go in and compete in European football and play Champions League football. Having that edge can be the difference sometimes because it is very difficult to turn that on and off.”
Next season will make for interesting viewing because Rangers are expected to mount a much stronger challenge for the title as they aim to stop their rivals from winning nine-in-a-row.
Neil Lennon will be in the Parkhead dugout and he is well aware of what it takes to win titles at Celtic after he did it on numerous occasions as a player and a manager.
The summer transfer window is going to play a big part in what happens next season because if both teams can get their recruitment right then the title will be hotly-contested.
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