BRENDAN Rodgers last night sent out a chilling warning to the chasing Premiership pack by promising his Celtic team will be even better in the second half of the season.

A hectic winter schedule for the champions ends on December 30 after the visit of Rangers and then the players, many of whom have looked weary over recent weeks, get a three-week winter break, with the possibility of a longer rest for some because the first match back is the home Scottish Cup tie against Brechin City on January 20.

Rodgers will again take the players to Dubai for warm weather training and his belief is that this will give his coaching staff time improve a team which could, on Sunday against Hearts, reach the mark of 70 domestic games without defeat.

Although he will be without Tom Rogic for the last five games of 2017. The Australian has a knee injury.

“We’ll be better in the second-half of the season, and I said the same last year,” said the Celtic manager.

“You put so much in to the first half of the season but when we get to the break we’ll hit the re-set button again. We’ll have more coaching and working time, so I’ve no doubt we will be better.

“There’s a long way to go once we get to January but it has been a tough run of games. I have nothing but admiration for the players. It’s not just what they’ve done in the 69 games - it’s what they have done every day in training.

“It’s what we do to shape that mentality because if they feel they can go lazy in training then they feel they can go lazy in games.

“They might not have been always at their best - but they have always given their best and their qualities come through.

“That starts in here at Lennoxtown. Everything is right in terms of the training, sports science, nutrition, analysis, how they can improve. They are a very hungry group who are willing to learn and have a willingness to win.”

Out-with the international breaks, which involves almost all the first team, Celtic have hardly had a free midweek all season and it has caught up on some.

And while Rodgers insisted, after the game against Hamilton on Wednesday, that he would never look to lethargy as an excuse, he did concede that his players could do with a change of scene

He said: “The winter break is the light at the end of tunnel and it's not even about relaxing.

"What we will do is give the players a week with their families to get a breather from football and recover.

"Then we will work very hard in the warm weather and we also hope to have new signings in during that period. That will allow us to bond and get together on the training pitch.

"In the second half of the season will also have more coaching time. We will be better in the second half of the season but I need to commend the players for what they have done so far.”