WINNING the title used to be the most significant event in the Celtic calendar but in these unusual times it will simply be the starting point for a spot of future planning.
Neil Lennon's side could clinch a third successive title as early as Wednesday night - should they beat St Mirren today and Aberdeen slip up in one of their next two games - at which point preparations with a view to the summer's Champions League qualifying ties will start to kick in.
With making the group phase vital to Celtic's season, Lennon wants his players to be at their peak, both physically and mentally, by the time the first of those qualifiers comes around in mid-July. Clinching the title this week will leave Celtic with two months of fixtures and next to nothing to play for, giving Lennon the luxury of resting players like Emilio Izaguirre and Efe Ambrose who will be involved in the World Cup finals in Brazil, and giving more game-time to prospects such as 17-year-old Liam Henderson. "We've been pretty much non-stop for two years," said the manager. "Some players are going to the World Cup, obviously, so we are very mindful that they may have to go from there straight into the Champions League qualifiers.
"We want to win the league as quickly as possible and then give them some rest and recuperation between now and when they join their countries. We'll let them go in the period between winning the league and the end of the season.
"I'm talking a week to 10 days so they do not lose fitness and they'll want to go away with their squads fully fit, too. But it is important they do get some rest as it is going to be pretty intense for them in the months after the domestic season ends. As for the rest, we want to get everyone back on June 24, including all internationals who are not part of the World Cup.
"It's difficult to tell how much benefit we got from doing it last season, but we just felt it was the right thing to do. We brought them back and still had the Scottish Cup Final, which we won well. It seemed to work then and we got the qualification for the Champions League right, too."
Henderson impressed on his debut against Kilmarnock last week and could feature again at Celtic Park today. "Liam will certainly be involved," added Lennon. "Whether I start him or not is a different thing, but he'll feature in more games between now and the end of the season. You always get that worry the kid comes in adrenalin-filled and then there is a dip.
"We were very pleased with his debut and it gives the whole club a lift, the academy coaches, the players at academy level, the supporters and, obviously, ourselves. You want to bring them in not just for one or two games, but hopefully they become a fixture for years to come. It's important with the strategy we have that takes place."
Team-mate Charlie Mulgrew has been impressed with just how easily Henderson has adapted to the demands of first-team football. "When he started training with us we could see he was a really good player, really composed on the ball," he said. "When someone's that young and relaxed you can tell they've got something about them. He's only 17 so he'll be a good player.
"He can be the real deal. He's got a long way to go but he's definitely got real potential. I hope he does well here as he looks like a top player."
Mulgrew hoped the title could be wrapped up as soon as possible but insisted there would be no downing tools after that. "There's still plenty to play for," he added. "We want to get as many points as possible, to score goals, keep clean sheets and play well. We want to finish the season on a high and win the league in a bit of style hopefully.
"There are individual targets within the team. At a club like Celtic, the fans demand things and we need to live up to that. We want it done as quickly as we can. It looks like it's going to happen now but it's not done until it's done."
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