Ange had a new Celtic rival to deal with this season and Rangers are paying the price of his brilliance - Chris Sutton

Ange Postecoglou faced a very different rival in this title race. Expectation.

In year one, the new manager didn’t have it from outside. Taking over with a 25-point deficit, few gave him a hope of doing what he did and wresting the title back from Rangers. This time around, a contrasting story. Burden and expectation were placed upon him entering the campaign as champions. It’s what makes this season’s surge to the title even more impressive than his first.

That may seem an odd statement when you consider the state of the place when he walked in. But with a target on their backs, Celtic rose to the challenge and responded spectacularly. Postecoglou’s men were up and running as soon as it started and, to be perfectly honest, there was little doubt where the title was destined to end up from the minute they hammered Rangers 4-0 on their own patch last September. Only six games had gone after that comprehensive win but, with a five-point lead already in the bag, Postecoglou’s men had a grip which barely loosened.

Rangers ended the campaign in a bit of turmoil after getting rid of manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst having fallen nine points behind going into the Qatar World Cup. But van Bronckhorst was only paying a price for the brilliance of Postecoglou’s team and, to some extent, Michael Beale is suffering much the same fate now.

At one stage, Celtic’s nearest challengers were on course to reach the 100-point mark for the season and still they weren’t going to catch the champions. That’s down to the Parkhead team being ruthless and relentless, with their manager getting it right on and off the park.

Building from a position of strength is a must. They say you go backwards by standing still and Celtic had to kick on last