The Celtic scenario where they can win the league at Rangers
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00:00Hello and welcome to the latest episode of National World's Football Talk, where we dissect all things Rangers and Celtic-related over the past week or so.
00:10I'm joined by my colleague Ben Banks this afternoon to look over the weekend's results.
00:16Celtic's wait for the title goes on a wee bit longer.
00:20Ben, they were winners on Saturday, comprehensive winners on Saturday over Kilmarnock, a thumping 5-1 victory at Park.
00:30They were hoping that Rangers slipped up at Potaudry on Sunday.
00:35Rangers were 2-0 down in that game against Aberdeen, but fought back to earn a 2-0 draw, with the point being enough to extend Celtic's weight to get their hands on the trophy and for at least another fortnight.
00:49At the time of recording, we've just learned the post-split fixtures.
00:53Celtic will have the chance to win the title at Tanadice against Thunder United on the 26th of April.
01:00Let's quickly go through the weekend's action then, Ben.
01:04Looking back over that game against Kilmarnock, this game was very much over after just 25 minutes, four goals up.
01:15Derek McInnes' side had no answers defensively.
01:18Pretty suspect as well, and this was as easy a Celtic victory as you'll see all season.
01:24Yeah, I mean, it was done within 20 minutes.
01:27It looked like Kilmarnock paid the price for St. Johnson poking the bear a wee bit.
01:34Yeah, I mean, it was a rout.
01:36Kilmarnock looked like they were quite happy for it to be 4-1 at the break.
01:42Maybe you could ask questions of Valjami Sinnesalo in terms of could he have dealt with that goal better,
01:47but I mean, it's a footnote in Celtic history of goals that do not matter.
01:54It was an absolute rout.
01:56Nothing else really to add about it.
01:58I don't think you learn a whole lot about Celtic other than they are very good
02:01and they are better than, you know, when they are on it.
02:04They are miles ahead of everybody in this division.
02:07And, you know, it's an inevitable step towards an inevitable title that will come for them,
02:13whether it be Dundee United or whether it be games after that.
02:17I do wonder, though, whether there are some Celtic fans, maybe,
02:24and you never want your team to lose or you never want your team to drop points,
02:28but if you don't win it at Dundee United, you do have the chance to win it at Ibrox.
02:34And I do wonder if there are some, you know, who would really love to rub it in
02:39with Celtic fans returning to Ibrox to see them win the title officially at Ibrox.
02:43I can imagine that's a scenario that everybody from police to, you know, police and security people
02:49wouldn't want, but I can imagine some Celtic fans would maybe look at that second game and go,
02:53you know, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Jim Goodwin's men got a win towards their European campaign.
02:59Yeah.
03:00I must touch on some of the quality of the goals on Saturday as well,
03:04in particular, we certainly learned that Cameron Carter-Vickers can strike a ball, didn't we?
03:08Didn't see that goal coming.
03:10Some goals of real quality in there, even Hitati's opener crisply struck the Maeda goal,
03:17a really slick passing move, and the Carter-Vickers strike from distance.
03:23Probably one of your top goal of the season contenders.
03:26Yeah, the Carter-Vickers one especially.
03:30I mean, for me, if I put my provincial club hat on, I always just think that he gets the time
03:36and all the world to go and, you know, look at the goal.
03:40Do I hit it this way? Do I hit it that way?
03:42And he just gets so much time to hit it.
03:43But, so, from a commanding point of view, I can imagine it's a frustrating one,
03:48but you can take nothing away from the goal, because the reason he's not getting presses
03:51is because you are not expecting him, of all people, to go and leather it from 30-odd yards.
03:57He won't hit a better one in his career.
03:59It's one of those ones that, not of the same importance, obviously,
04:03but it sort of reminds me of that one Vincent Kompany scored for Man City
04:06on the way to one of their titles down south.
04:08Just probably the person you least expect to go and batter the ball into the top stanchion
04:14from about 30-35 yards.
04:15So, I can imagine it'll be great viewing Forst and Johnston
04:18when they go in to do their, you know, their analysis on Celtic for the week.
04:21How are we going to stop Celtic?
04:23And then they see that their centre-back started potting in goals from 30-odd yards.
04:27So, yeah, it'll be...
04:29It was needed.
04:30They were seemingly toiling in recent weeks, foot off the gas a wee bit,
04:35but they showed very much, I think, Brendan Rodgers was not happy
04:38at the manner of how the loss of St. Johnston,
04:40that seemed to come out in the performance.
04:43Yeah, I mean, it'll probably be a really tough ask, won't it,
04:45for St. Johnston going into this Cup semi-final this weekend at Amden
04:49to repeat their victory from McDermott Park a few weeks ago.
04:55Do you think it's an inevitable Celtic win?
04:57And I know we say at the end of the day it's a Scottish Cup semi-final,
05:01anything can happen.
05:02But, you know, Celtic will be overwhelming favourites, won't they?
05:05The worst thing St. Johnston could have done is win that game a few weeks ago
05:09with regards to Scottish Cup chances.
05:12I think if you were to ask them,
05:13you can only win one game in this hypothetical scenario.
05:16What one would you win?
05:17I think they would probably take the league win
05:18because staying in the Premiership for them is far more important
05:21than the win in the Scottish Cup.
05:23Obviously, the competition I've had a lot of success in
05:25in the last 10, 11 years.
05:29So I think it could get pretty nasty, to be honest, for St. Johnston.
05:33It's an entirely different game
05:35from playing on a terrible pitch at McDermott.
05:38Bobbillay plays to St. Johnston's strengths a wee bit
05:41in terms of they know how to combat that pitch.
05:43Because they like to try and play as well.
05:47They know how to deal with that pitch.
05:50And Celtic, wide, expansive part with Hamza.
05:53I think they'll just pass and press them to death.
05:56And I think we've not had, well, I say that,
06:01until this season when Celtic absolutely routed Aberdeen
06:04in the League Cup semi-final.
06:06I can see it being something like that.
06:08I can see Celtic really putting on the afterburners
06:10and sort of putting St. Johnston in their place
06:12a wee bit, I can see it being sort of four or five.