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It is the Rangers’ best start to the season in 53 years and Steven Gerrard’s team looks formidable as they seek to stop Celtic’s march to an unprecedented 10th straight title.
Another slip from the defending champions away to Hibs on Saturday, combined with Rangers 4-0 win from Aberdeen the next day, has opened an 11 point gap between the pair.
Chasing Celtic you still have two games in hand, but is the challenge from your Old Firm rivals greater than in recent seasons?
Rangers progress while Celtic retreat
First of all, let’s see the difference from last year.
The Rangers sit atop the Premiership this season with 41 points from 15 games. That’s three more than at the same point last season.
Meanwhile, Celtic have accumulated 30 points in 13 games this period, last year their tally after the same number of games was 34, which means Lennon’s men are four points worse.
The statistics on Parkhead’s side are also worse when it comes to goals. They have scored six fewer this season and conceded six more compared to the previous period.
The Rangers have scored four fewer goals this season compared to the same point a year ago, but their defense has been much tighter, conceding just three goals so far, having let in 10 after 15 games in 2019-20. Ibrox’s team has yet to leave a single goal at home in eight games this season.
Leading the Rangers’ scorecards is Captain James Tavernier. The right-back is also the league’s top scorer with nine goals, and has also been involved in 36% of all his team’s Premiership goals, an incredible contribution from a winger.
“The Rangers are like a steam train building momentum, and if it continues, it will be difficult for anyone to stop them,” said former Rangers player Richard Foster.
Meanwhile, across town, Celtic Odsonne forward Edouard hasn’t replicated his brilliant form for the French Under-21 team in green and white. After scoring a hat-trick on the opening weekend, he has tallied just two goals since then, including Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Hibs.
Statistics favor Gerrard’s men
That was just a quick snapshot, but let’s dig deeper, shall we?
The stat gurus at Opta paint a defensive picture that will please Gerrard and leave his counterpart Neil Lennon scratching his head. The Rangers have kept 17 clean sheets this season across all competitions, eight more than Celtic, and it’s clear why that may be the case.
While continuity at the rear and dominant displays in midfield mean the chances for Rangers opponents are slim, injuries and below-average defensive displays are costing Celtic at the moment, with the jury still out on defender Shane Duffy and goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas after unfavorable starts. to their careers at Parkhead.
In the Premiership, Lennon’s defending champions have faced 113 shots from opponents compared to 70 from the Rangers, with 32 of them on target over 22 aimed at their opponents’ goal. That’s 38% and 31% more, respectively.
Looking ahead, it’s a similar story. Statistics show that the Rangers are much more powerful in attack.
Gerrard’s team has had 52 more shots on target (285) and 10 extra shots on target compared to Celtic (104).
They also get the ball into the box much more often. The Rangers have thrown 275 crosses in open play, 64 of them successful, compared to 216-46 successful for Celtic.
What these figures show is that today’s league leaders are getting into positions to shoot and cross more frequently, although their success rate with the former is slightly lower, 4% less.
Is it too early to tell?
Many Celtic fans will point out having been in this movie before. Last season both teams were tied at the start of the year, but Celtic were 13 points clear when the season was called.
Lennon and some of the club’s supporters will point out their experience and it’s hard to argue. After all, they are veterans when it comes to going far in campaigns, and if they can keep the likes of Edouard and Ryan Christie in the January transfer window, then I would still expect them to finish strong.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that his recent slump stems from a streak of tough games that includes four away games, three against teams he would expect to be pushing for third place, and an Old Firm derby.
However, it is clear from the statistics that this Rangers team poses a much greater threat, and their challenge must be canceled at their own risk.
“The application level [from Celtic] he’s poor, “said former Rangers and Scotland midfielder Neil McCann.” Not all, but some players.
“If they don’t understand the history that Celtic has right now, they shouldn’t wear a Celtic jersey.
“It’s good to have games in hand, but you have to win them. And with the way Celtic is playing right now, you can’t guarantee that will happen.”
