Hutton drops ‘huge’ Celtic claim after latest – it’s all down to Rangers
Pressure from Rangers’ new-found form under Philippe Clement is the primary reason for Celtic’s recent struggles.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former Gers and Aston Villa defender Alan Hutton claimed that the Hoops have not had to contend with such a strong Rangers side for a while, which has caused cracks in their form.
Clement remains unbeaten in all competitions since moving to Ibrox in October, while Brendan Rodgers has suffered back-to-back league defeats against Hearts and Kilmarnock.
Celtic remain top of the league on 42 points, but Rangers sit just two points below with a game in hand and can boast the best defensive record in the division having let in just eight goals in 17 matches.
Hutton admitted that adjusting to Rodgers’ return and the shift away from Ange Postecoglou’s tenure could be a factor in their woes, but urged them to return to form quickly.
“Their struggles could be a number of things,” he told Football Insider.
“The manager coming back in and the new way of playing that’s obviously different to Ange, so it’s about buying into that project.
“But it’s mostly the pressure from Rangers. Rangers have changed their manager and are playing much better football.
“The pressure – it’s there now more than ever to win week in and week out.
“It’s not been that way for a little while for Celtic, so that is huge.
“The Champions League disappointment has also had an impact, but Rangers have had to deal with European football as well.
“A lot of it comes down to pressure and who can handle it better.
“Celtic have been just unbelievable over the last few years with the amount of trophies they’ve won – you can’t take that away from them.
“But with back-to-back defeats in the league, they’ll need to bounce back and bounce back quickly.”
In other news, Hutton drops ‘massive’ Brendan Rodgers claim after Celtic latest – ‘How has this happened?’.