Ange Postecoglou insists he’s proud of the laser-like focus which has ensured Celtic have kept near perfect balance on the title tightrope.
The Parkhead heroes took a huge step towards winning the Premiership with a fully-deserved win over Ross County in Dingwall.
Goals from Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota pushed Postecoglou’s men six points clear at the top with just four games to go.
Victory over Rangers on Sunday could almost seal the prize due to a hefty goal-difference advantage over their nearest challengers from Ibrox.
Under the severest scrutiny with virtually no margin for error since last September, Celtic have won 25 of their last 28 Premiership matches with the other three drawn.
Postecoglou is thrilled with their ability to stay right on point throughout the title chase.
He said: “We’ve been walking this tightrope for a very, very long time.
“I think people haven’t noticed because the players have dealt with it very well.
“You look at our record and the challenges we’ve had throughout that time, the players have been laser focused.
“Have a look at our record from round six. If people can show me the games where we could have afforded a slip up, I’ll be happy to have a look.
“Every game has been important to win, every performance has been important. This was no different.
“We just have to continue on with the football we’ve been playing with whatever challenges we have and I felt we did that.
“I’m not surprised, but very proud. It’s one of those where sometimes I sit back and just think about what this group of men have achieved in such a short space of time.
“The beauty of it is that they’ll be back in now and getting into recovery and getting ready to go again next week.
“They won’t even be talking about anything else other than that we got the job done.”
Celtic showed no signs of nerves as they clattered County with an excellent showing in the Highlands.
Furuhashi gave them an ideal start with a 12th-minute header which set them on their way and, although it took a while for a second to arrive, Jota produced three minutes from time to spark jubilant scenes amongst the away fans.
It was a perfect response to the previous weekend’s Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Rangers, but Postecoglou didn’t feel one was necessary or there was any need for his men to make statements.
He said: “You talk about statements and all these things. We lost in extra time to a single goal in a cup semi-final.
“If that’s evidence for things that need drastic change or that we’ve gone off the rails, that was our first loss in I don’t know however long.
“I get why people have extreme reactions to it, but I can tell you that by Tuesday, we were obviously disappointed because we were out the cup and really wanted to get to the final, but we were back training at our levels and getting ready for this game.
“There was never any need for me to address any sort of issues within. That’s internally, but I get externally why it looks like that.
“What’s important is that we come up to every game, respect our opponent and try to play our football and impose ourselves on it. That’s what we did.
“There’s enough commentary about it to know that this wasn’t going to be an easy game. The last time they lost here was against us.
“You know it’s going to be a difficult encounter. We’ve come away with a really strong victory which I thought was important.”
