It’s the form we have found since Ange has been around, that has not only put Celtic top of the league looking down on theRangers, but according to the European football podcast, ‘The Sweeper’ has also put this Celtic team top of the table when it comes to unbeaten runs right across European football!
📈 Longest unbeaten runs across Europe's top 10 leagues:
🏴 Celtic (18 games)
🏴 Newcastle (16)
🇧🇪 Union Saint-Gilloise (16)
🇫🇷 Reims (14)
🇦🇹 Salzburg (14)
🇳🇱 Feyenoord (13)
🇩🇪 Bayern (12)
🇩🇪 Leipzig (12)
🏴 Rangers (12)
🇪🇸 Barcelona (11)
🇳🇱 Twente (11)
🇦🇹 Sturm Graz (11) pic.twitter.com/XWX28U9blm— The Sweeper (@SweeperPod) February 7, 2023
Celtic’s current run of 18 games without defeat, in a season where the Hoops sit nine points clear at the summit of the Scottish Premiership, with 23 wins from 25 games, has seen Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic become the form team across Europe’s top ten leagues.
That form has seen Celtic move ahead of the likes of Newcastle United and Union Saint-Gilloise (both 16) and Reims and Salzburg (both 14) as well as Feyenoord (13) and RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich who have both registered 12 wins. And that’s before we get to the Micky Beale revolutionaries who have managed 12 games unbeaten and a revitalised Barcelona who have managed 11 games without defeat.
Celtic’s only dropped points this season came with a defeat away to St Mirren and a 2-2 draw at Ibrox, a quite remarkable domestic record and one that should have any side believing they can overcome a nine-point deficit having another think to themselves.
There is always a recency bias that can come into play when assessing any Celtic side, but few will believe Celtic have even reached their full potential this season under Ange Postecoglou, despite being the form team in Europe.
Last season saw the Celts – aided by four first team signings in the January of 2022 – move through the gears and peak at the business end of the season. There have been signs in recent games that this Celtic side is about to hit a similar run of form – after another similarly fruitful transfer window last month – that will hopefully see Celtic retain their league title.
It would take a brave man to bet against such an outcome, and with Celtic’s form top of the European standings in February, it will be interesting to see just how long such an unbeaten run can be extended and whether Celtic can remain there right until the end of the season.
Another indicator of where this Celtic team currently is in terms of league form and what they can achieve in terms of points totals at the end of the season can by found on the Celtic v Celtic thread on the Kerrydale Street forum.
Comparing this Celtic side after 25 league games played against previous Celtic teams shows that with 70 points already secured Ange Postecoglou’s side in the 2022/23 season trails only Brendan Rodgers Invincible side and Martin O’Neill side on a mission the season after Seville. After 25 games they both had 73 points.
Yet there’s still 13 games to go and don’t bet on this Celtic team surpassing both those incredible Celtic sides in terms of points won by the end of the season. Ange Postecoglou will be looking to finish the season on 109 points and that would be some record, surpassing The Invincibles who finished the season on 106 points after dropping just 8 points with 4 draws and obviously no defeats.
Niall J
The vital thing is to keep winning, and to take one game at a time.