As they don’t have enough depth for a title fight, Alan Stubbs believes Celtic’s January transfer window could “bite them on the backside”.
One of the many things that have been said about the Hoops lately is that they are thought to have failed in the transfer market. Rangers have recently risen to the top thanks to lost points against Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, but it’s commonly believed that the team’s on-field problems are the result of inadequate squad strengthening.
When Brendan Rodgers entered the January transfer window, he stated that he was looking to recruit a few quality players who could contribute straight away. However, the team added striker Adam Idah and winger Nicolas Kuhn, who have both struggled to establish themselves.
According to Stubbs, the team’s recent additions were never going to push them to the “next level,” and as a result, they now have a subpar roster.
“You only have to look at Celtic’s bench from Saturday; Oh, Kuhn, Bernardo, Bernabei, Hyun…that is what I am talking about the strength in depth,” the former Hoops defender said to PLZ Soccer. They might not be able to advance Celtic to a higher level, in my opinion.
This, in my opinion, is the reason Celtic’s hiring practices throughout the previous 18 months—since Ange’s departure, in particular—could come back to haunt them. He had great success with a few, but I believe they have too much focus on the Asian market. All you have to do is glance at the three or four that have managed to function thus far.
While Stubbs believes Rangers are not as talented as Celtic, he does believe that they are a squad that can win right now and may even have the mental toughness to go all the way.
He went on, “Philippe Clement has done a great job turning this group of Rangers players into a competitive team.” Although they aren’t as good as the Celtics technically, he has outperformed Rodgers in terms of achieving wins and obtaining outcomes.
Rangers are leading in momentum, but I would still rank Celtic as the slight favorites simply because they have a collection of players who have been there, done that. They appear to be a club that is improving and has a chance to win the league.
“You need to be a really strong person mentally. Rangers stopping the ten hasn’t stopped Celtic from dominating domestically over the past few years. They have essentially gotten their own way. Here’s where you can gauge a player’s ability to handle the pressure of playing for a major team like Celtic or Rangers when performance is required.
“Rangers are currently treating teams the way you would anticipate Celtic to treat them. Celtic has been putting forth consistent results, but they haven’t impressed. It was close throughout the entire season when we attempted to prevent the Rangers from scoring ten.
“Our team spirit was the main factor that carried us through the season. Without a doubt, we had talented athletes, but our greatest asset was our team spirit and cohesiveness. I don’t believe their team has the same prominent characters as ours did.”
