Strach buoyant as clinical Celtic march on

CELTIC manager Gordon Strachan praised midfield duo Shunsuke Nakamura and Shaun Maloney after they combined against Inverness to take the Scottish Premier League leaders seven points clear of second-placed Rangers.

After their shock exit from Europe at the hands of Aalborg in midweek, the visit of Caley Thistle did little to inspire the Hoops players and fans on a freezing cold day at Parkhead.

The one shaft of inspiration though, came in the 29th minute when Maloney timed his run to perfection to capitalise on a fine reverse pass from Nakamura and fire past Caley keeper Ryan Esson.

Afterwards, Strachan recognised the moment of magic that made all the difference.

“For Nakamura to get the ball up and down with not too much pace in it, was the best part,” he said.

“It was a clever run by Shaun, he knew that probably the only person on the pitch who could play that pass was Nakamura. That was two good players combining.”

The victory gave Strachan’s side their 12th straight SPL win to pile the pressure on Rangers, who lost earlier in the day at Hearts.

But the Celtic boss played down the significance of his side’s lead in the championship race, while praising his players for their current form.

“The SPL never surprises me,” he said. “But this run shows we can deal with disappointment and injuries and win when not at our best.”

Yesterday Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell insisted he would be surprised if midfielder Nakamura quit in the next transfer window, despite reports linking him with a return to Japan.

He said: “We hope he will stay. If he does go, it will be a surprise.

“He will leave at some point. If it is the summer, then clearly we must plan for that replacement.”

The Bhoys are also being linked to Derry City’s Niall McGinn. The Parkhead club are considering making a bid for the 21-year-old Derry City midfielder, who is being coveted by several clubs, including Swansea City.

Rangers went down 2-1 at Tynecastle thanks to goals from Marius Zaliukas and Laryea Kingston, with an own-goal from Christos Karipidis failing to alter the final outcome.

Hearts admitted ahead of the game their players had not been paid for the second time this season but, with a fifth consecutive win bonus to collect, the Edinburgh side will be hoping funds are in their accounts as promised today.

Gers boss Walter Smith admits Rangers are now under major pressure to salvage their title hopes in their three remaining games against Celtic, with their rivals set to visit Ibrox on December 27.

“Any points that we drop are a blow to us,” said the Rangers boss.

“It certainly means that in the three Old Firm games that are left this season, the pressure is heaped firmly onto ourselves.

“We have to win all our games anyway — it doesn’t matter whether it is ‘must-win’ or whatever.”