Scottish Premiership title race: Why taking part in first issues for Hearts, Rangers and Celtic in battle for top-spot

One other weekend, one other twist within the title race.

After Hearts and Rangers took care of enterprise on Saturday, champions Celtic fell to defeat away to Dundee United on Sunday.

Maybe not predictable, however definitely possible.

The Scottish Premiership’s present high three have solely all gained on the identical weekend as soon as this season – on the weekend of January 10/11.

Coincidentally, they confronted the identical three groups they met simply final weekend – Dundee, Aberdeen and Dundee United.

There is a respectable likelihood that development might proceed too. Because of post-split head-to-heads, at the very least one of many high three are assured to drop factors in three of the remaining seven gameweeks.

So strap in, the house straight is ready to be a bumpy journey.

Does taking part in first matter?

Probably the most apparent pre-match questions requested of a supervisor concerned in a title race issues the thought of ‘placing strain’ on rivals when taking part in earlier than them. Or the inverse of that, is there added strain to reply when taking part in afterwards?

Normally, they’re briefed to let you know that they solely deal with their very own sport, they usually cannot management what occurs elsewhere.

However that is solely partly true.

Imagine me, gamers do test scores, watch video games, and skim league tables.

You would be right to say they cannot management what occurs in different matches, although they’ll nonetheless affect them.

As evidenced by a constant sample of faltering follow-up acts, the staff who performs first often has a bonus:

• The plain one – Celtic misplaced to Dundee United on Sunday after Hearts and Rangers gained on Saturday.
• Hearts misplaced to Kilmarnock final Saturday night after Celtic beat Motherwell within the afternoon.
• The earlier gameweek earlier than that, the Outdated Agency golf equipment drew with one another after Hearts beat Aberdeen.
• And the week earlier than that, Hearts beat Falkirk on the Saturday earlier than Rangers have been held to a draw by Livingston and Celtic misplaced to Hibernian on the Sunday.

I might go on and on. The final time there have been no weekend slip-ups from the perimeters taking part in later was on the weekend of January 10/11 – the one one by which all three groups gained.

That is psychology, not coincidence.

Whether or not it immediately places extra strain on the gamers or not, anybody who has been inside one of many grounds of these groups taking part in catch-up can really feel the palpable pressure and angst from the stands.

The post-split fixtures are but to be confirmed, so we can’t absolutely look at to what extent fixture sequencing could affect the title race. Nonetheless, if this development continues, all three groups might spill factors earlier than the cut up.

Rangers play first after the worldwide break, internet hosting Dundee United at house on Saturday April 4.

Which means, by the point leaders Hearts go to Livingston at 2pm on Sunday April 12 – reside on Sky Sports activities – they may discover themselves knocked off high spot for the primary time since September.

Champions Celtic then go to Dundee at 4.30pm – additionally reside on Sky Sports activities – and might be eight factors behind by kick-off.

The next weekend, it is going to be Rangers’ flip to reply as they go to Falkirk – reside on Sky Sports activities on April 12 – after each Hearts and Celtic play at house yesterday.

Does title-winning expertise rely?

Celtic are the furthest behind of the three at this stage however profit from having the best depth of title-winning expertise amongst their ranks.

James Forrest is the membership’s most-decorated participant in its historical past, whereas Callum McGregor has captained the facet to 4 consecutive Scottish Premierships. Having gained 13 and 10 top-flight titles respectively, they need to fairly rightfully settle for the ‘serial winners’ tag.

There are 62 Scottish top-flight league winners’ medals within the Celtic dressing room, 73 if you happen to embody Martin O’Neill and his teaching workers.

In the meantime, 43-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon is Hearts’ sole title-winner – lifting the trophy 5 occasions with Celtic – and Rangers captain James Tavernier is the one participant at Ibrox who boasts a medal.

These numbers are hardly a shock, the champions have come out on high in 13 out of the final 14 seasons, so their credentials are unquestionable.

However cantering to numerous trophies is one factor, navigating a title race is one other.

For all their expertise, this Celtic staff have by no means discovered themselves on this place earlier than. The hunted have by no means been the hunters.

That is the primary time they have not been high at this stage since Rangers final gained the title in 2021, they usually have not been outdoors the highest two after 31 video games since 1995.

In truth, it has been 17 years for the reason that staff that led at this level final relinquished the championship when Gordon Strachan’s Celtic gave up a three-point benefit on Walter Smith’s Rangers in 2009.

That being mentioned, this staff has seen off average challenges to the Premiership throne from their Outdated Agency rivals in 2023/24 underneath Philippe Clement and Giovanni van Bronckhorst in 2021/22, so it is unfair to say they’ve by no means skilled a ‘title race’ as such.

However coming from behind is a brand new problem for Scotland’s perennial winners, and for his or her legendary veteran supervisor, whose three title triumphs within the early 2000s have been all by vital margins of at the very least 15 factors.

Within the two seasons O’Neill did not win the league throughout his first spell, Rangers gained it on the ultimate day of the season.

As essentially the most thrilling title race in a long time nears its conclusion, can Celtic’s ‘mentality monsters’ nonetheless prevail when backed right into a nook?