Brendan Rodgers: Rangers’ Scottish Premiership lapses ‘irrelevant’ for Celtic boss

The manager, Brendan Rodgers, has cautioned Celtic not to “soften up” in response to Rangers’ unexpected league slip-ups.

The defending champions lead their championship challengers by three points heading into the last five games after Ross County lost and Dundee drew.

In the Premiership season’s last Old Firm rivalry, Celtic will play at home with a five-goal advantage.

“Our focus has always been on ourselves – we can only do our work,” Rodgers stated.

You can’t let the fact that another team might have drawn or lost make you weaken, especially right now. That is unimportant.

“You must act in a way that yields results. Teams with a strong sense of motivation and organization may provide a challenge to you.

What to watch out for in the semifinals of the Scottish Cup

Before his squad kicks off the league home stretch on April 28 with a trip to Dundee, Rodgers is getting ready for Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen.

“It’s not how you start the marathon, it’s how you finish it,” he stated. “We are getting better every day and seem good when we play, but we still have a long way to go.

“The majority of performances have been strong. But the league still has a very long way to go.”

In their nine Premier League games thus far, Celtic and Rangers have both lost points.

Rodgers continued, “You will not play 38 games at the highest level.” “You will have waves and valleys, but how you handle those will define your strength.

“The players have performed incredibly well. They have frequently had to put forth a lot of effort and produce outcomes.

The team’s fluidity improves significantly once key players return to the club because we just kept chipping away and concentrated on our game model and style of play.

“You can never have doubt and the more we work together, on and off the pitch, it all feels that everyone is on the same page.”

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