Rangers: Steven Gerrard 'humble' over title challenge
- Published
Steven Gerrard's Rangers beat Celtic at Celtic Park last month to move two points behind Neil Lennon's men
Manager Steven Gerrard says Rangers are in "better shape" for a title run in than they were 12 months ago.
The Ibrox side were level on points with rivals Celtic last January, only to finish nine points behind the Scottish champions.
This time around, Gerrard's men are two points adrift but with a game in hand following their win over Celtic last month.
"The Old Firm fixture is huge," the Rangers boss told Sky Sports.
"You try and take that confidence and belief into your next group of fixtures. This is different because there's been a bit of a break.
"We know Celtic are not going anywhere. We know they are a good team with fantastic players and a winning mentality.
"We have to be respectful and humble about the challenge but we can only focus on ourselves.
"Where we are as a team compared to 12 months ago, we feel that we are in better shape."
Gerrard's desire for his side to return strong has been echoed by captain James Tavernier, who believes consistency could be the key for Rangers stopping Celtic's quest for nine domestic titles in a row.
The team from Govan have only dropped points in three games this season - including a solitary defeat - whereas this time last season they had lost three games and drawn six, having played two games more.
"We've got to take things game-by-game. We've got to be humble and we've got to be approaching every game like it's a cup final," said the defender.
"I believe the consistency is there for us this season, so we have got to take it game-by-game and approach every game as if we are playing Celtic.
"We've got to get three points every week and take it right down to the wire."