da wazamba： In a modern context, Celtic going an entire domestic season unbeaten is unheard of. The club have only had one unbeaten league season in their history and that was way back in 1898, when there were only 18 matches across a campaign.
da betcris： The Hoops broke the legendary Lisbon Lions’ record for consecutive wins from the start of a season on Sunday, their 27th game this term without suffering defeat.
Incredibly they’ve won 26 of those matches, only Inverness Caledonian Thistle have managed to draw against them and that goal came in the dying moments of the game.
With four home games in February, the prospect of them losing anytime soon seems remote.
However, they do face one of their toughest tests of the domestic season with the visit of Aberdeen tonight. Although the Dons haven’t come close to Rodgers team, over the last few years they’ve certainly been the Bhoys’ closest challengers.
Can Rodgers inspire his side to an unbeaten domestic season?
Here are FIVE reasons why we think he will…
The fear factor
One of the key features of great Celtic sides of the past has been the intimidation opponents felt before a ball was even kicked, and Rodgers has brought that back to Celtic Park for the first time in over a decade.
Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton, Stiliyan Petrov were just some of the names that brought a reputation with them into games that must have made defenders and midfielders pause for thought about their ability to match up these big names.
The increasing profile of Moussa Dembele and the likes of Scott Sinclair coming north means that teams across Scotland must expect defeat, or at the very best, a draw even when hosting the Hoops.
The treble
Unbeaten records and the like are all well and good but what supporters care about most is tangible success, silverware.
For players, coaches and the manager too the treble is the ultimate aim and may be the biggest factor in determining whether Celtic can keep up performance and concentration levels over the next few months.
It’s true that the Bhoys have a significant financial advantage over the other Scottish teams but that doesn’t guarantee anything – hard work and effort is still required.
Trebles are rare, even in Scotland. Celtic have only managed it three times in their entire history and the chance to win that in Rodgers’ first season in the club is a massive carrot on a stick for the entire club.
Squad kept intact
It’s been a long transfer window for Celtic fans as they’ve waited to find out whether they’ll retain their key players for the rest of the season and beyond.
Rumours have swirled around the likes of Kieran Tierney, Craig Gordon, Moussa Dembele, Erik Sviatchenko and Jozo Simunovic all month but it nows seems likely that Rodgers has managed to keep everyone happy at the club who has played a big part of their success so far.
That’s going to be vital if they truly want to make history this season. The Bhoys have a fantastic first-team and depth in most areas but losing the likes of Dembele would have been a significant blow given his impact on the side so far.
Late, late goals
Celtic’s determination to keep picking up points is evident in the way they finish matches this season. As shown by this stat from Norwegian journalist Christian Wulff, the Hoops are destroying teams in the final 15 minutes of games.
That will to win is going to serve them well if they carry their unbeaten streak towards the deep end of the season and the pressure and expectation begins to mount on them actually finishing the entire campaign without losing.
Fitness plays an issue here too. Celtic have arguably never looked as full of life and fit as they do now, even though that was a much-heralded aspect of Ronny Deila’s tenure at the club.
That’s making sure they are head and shoulders above the opposition no matter what, even if fans have to be patient and wait for the goal that gives them victory.
The entire team is scoring
Goals are coming from all over this Celtic side. Four players have scored ten or more goals in all competitions this season.
In the absence of both Moussa Dembele AND Leigh Griffiths on Sunday, Scott Sinclair stepped up to the plate to grab a double and move his tally onto 15 for the season.
It’s ability to find goals from all over the team that means Celtic are going to be a formidable force for the rest of the campaign. Even with big players out they always have a star or two who are going to make themselves count come the end of the 90 minutes.
Hoops fans don’t have to worry about an injury to one player or the form of another. This team is a unit and that’s proven by the variety of goalscorers and style of goals scored this season.