Celtic vs Rangers: One-sided Scottish Premiership rivalry is unhealthy | OneFootball

Celtic’s seemingly inevitable march to the treble in Scotland this season will undoubtedly delight anyone who favours the green half of Glasgow.

With the Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup already in the bag, a victory over Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final would round off another memorable season.

While Celtic would rightly celebrate a trio of trophies, the one-sided rivalry with Rangers is unhealthy.

Celtic fans may argue that constantly keeping their local rivals in the shade is hilarious, and their stance is wholly understandable.

However, the current yawning disparity between the clubs is problematic.

For starters, there is the small matter of manager Brendan Rodgers, whose contract expires next year.

Aside from an unlikely success in Europe, he has nothing left to achieve with Celtic. Rodgers may feel he has unfinished business in English football.

If Rangers provided Celtic with genuine competition, the 52-year-old could stick around to fend off their challenge.

The imbalance between the two Glasgow clubs also has the potential to be an issue for Celtic in the transfer market.

Every footballer likes to win things. However, they also thrive on competition. Increasingly hollow successes quickly lose their allure.

On that basis, Celtic would benefit if Rangers actually got their act together and assembled a squad capable of giving them a run for their money.

Former Rangers star Kris Boyd has claimed Rangers need to sign at least seven new players this summer to challenge Celtic next term.

Purely from a sporting perspective, that makes the club an attractive proposition for potential new signings.

Ambitious players would relish the chance to knock Celtic off their perch. The challenge for Rangers is to correctly identify those players.

They failed miserably last summer, with their transfer business leaving a lot to be desired. As Boyd highlighted, that must change.

“Any football club or any manager will tell you recruitment is key,” Boyd said. This summer, more than ever for Rangers, it’s got to be spot-on.

“You can’t afford any mistakes or project players. Rangers need to get at least six or seven first-team starters who are going to come in and make a difference.

“These players need to change the mindset within Rangers in terms of thinking that you’re just going to turn up and win games of football.

“You need to earn the right to win games of football, and right now that’s not the case at Ibrox.”

Celtic fans may scoff at the notion that they need Rangers to enjoy a successful summer transfer window, but they would be missing the bigger picture.

A sustained title challenge from their rivals would make the season more interesting and boost their hopes of retaining Rodgers as manager.

Winning silverware is a great feeling. Winning silverware when you’ve been pushed hard by your biggest rivals is an even greater feeling.