Dundee United midfielder John Rankin has sent out a reminder that Celtic are not the only in-form team in the SPL.
The Hoops have been notching up win after win and have managed to close the gap on leaders Rangers to just four points. So they will come to Tannadice on Sunday brimming with confidence but Rankin warned that United have not been doing too badly themselves.
Since exiting the Scottish Communities League Cup to Falkirk last month, they have hammered Dunfermline, played well in defeat to Rangers, seen off Hearts and then picked up a precious away point at Motherwell. And as impressed as he has been with this weekend’s opponents, Rankin still thinks they can be beaten.
”The way Celtic have been playing, they are frightening just now,” said the former Hibs midfielder. ”They have certainly been gathering momentum as a team.
”Mind you, we have as well over the last few weeks. OK, we didn’t win at Rangers but we still played well and we have also beaten Dunfermline and Hearts, then drawn away at Motherwell. So that’s not a bad wee spell.
”On Sunday, it won’t be a case of us trying to stop Celtic playing. Instead, we will be going out to play our own game and we have plenty of players who can trouble them. We will aim to get on the ball and pass it about and express ourselves.
”I think the Old Firm are giving the other SPL teams a lot of respect and you see why when Kilmarnock go and beat Rangers.”
Of particular danger to United will be the Celtic strikeforce of Anthony Stokes and Gary Hooper. Rankin does not see them as a traditional partnership but they are certainly doing the business for Neil Lennon’s side.
”Their strikers have hit it off big time in recent weeks,” he added. ”They work well together and it is strange because it is not a ‘big man, little man’ combination that we have been used to in Scottish football.
”Instead, they are so sharp in and around the box with the ball at their feet and they link up so well with one another.
”I knew Stokes from our time together at Hibs so I am not surprised to see him sitting at the top of the goalscoring charts. You get more chances when you are at Celtic than Hibs and he has been putting them away.”
While the Celtic strikers have been on target, United may have a secret weapon in their arsenal. Step forward former Liverpool and Airdrie United winger Gary Mackay-Steven, who has been a star for the Tangerines since making his first start at Ibrox this month.
”Gaz has been brilliant,” added Rankin. ”Often with young players you don’t know what you are going to get because they are inconsistent. And we didn’t know what we were going to get from him when he made his first start at Rangers, but he was flying that day.
”He keeps reminding us that he has played at Anfield so isn’t bothered by the likes of Ibrox or Parkhead. The confidence has been oozing out of him since that match and he is a great ‘out’ for the rest of us.
”He makes himself available for the pass to take the pressure off at the back. It is probably no coincidence that we have been better defensively with him in the side because of that.
”He is also deceivably quick with the ball at his feet. In fact, I think he is quicker with it than without. He just glides past players.”