Rodgers was delighted with his players after their 3-0 win over Hearts at Celtic Park put the pressure firmly on Rangers ahead of that test against Derek McInnes’s men at Ibrox, ensuring that his side will go into next weekend’s Old Firm derby with at least a three point advantage, depending on the Rangers result tomorrow lunchtime.

But Rodgers won’t be glued to the television to see what response Philippe Clement’s men can conjure to Celtic’s emphatic display, preferring instead to head for the coast.

When asked if he will be watching the Rangers match, Rodgers said: “No. I’m heading out with my family tomorrow.

“I’ll be going up to the seaside and enjoying a bit of time up there. I’ll be resting and spending time with the family.”

Rodgers’ mood has been improved significantly over recent weeks as his team have clicked into gear, with key players returning to top form and fitness, and his men looking to be taking their cue from their manager in the way they have relished the must-win nature of their recent matches.

The Celtic manager says that his team are now looking much closer to the vision he had for them at the start of the season, and that they are looking primed for what is potentially a title decider next week in both a physical and mental capacity.

And he is hoping that they will even have ‘a bit of fun’ when Rangers come calling.

“Eighty per cent of it now is mental,” he said.

“Physically they are in a really good place. This stage it’s all about mentality. You can see mentally we are in a really good place.

“Take nothing for granted, keep our composure, we have a lot of work to do in the week, get our plan ready and then next Saturday we can have a bit of fun!

“It’s felt it’s getting back to what I want it to be. A bit of the norm. I said before the first six months were a challenge for everyone and everything. But now you start to see a bit more of what a Celtic team of mine should look like. And still with a lot of work to do to get it to that point. But it’s certainly heading in the right direction.

“I thought it was fantastic in terms of performance, result and the game. Great feeling in the stadium. I thought we played very well, aggressive – apart from the first five minutes which I didn’t like, we were giving away throw ins from our own corners.

“But then we settled in, got the ball moving and the place comes alive. I was really, really pleased. These are big games at this time of the season so you want big contributions from your best players and I thought our top players were great.

“We looked like a proper team today. Players back, competition, players working their way back. You see that one run from Callum (McGregor), that was enough for me – I know he is ready.

“The quality of the goals, the composure, the penalty, we had other chances to score. It felt like a great Celtic day today.

“Hearts have done really well. Steven (Naismith) has organised his team well and for a wee while our pressing was not aggressive against their back three. If you give players time to play then they can play but we started to press it better and once we were able to solidify at half time, I thought we were a lot better and looked a dominant team.

“It is such an important point of the season, I have always said it, the team is an extension of the supporters and when that concentration is on the football, and everyone is focused you see the power Celtic has.

“The energy rolled from the stands down onto the field and hopefully the fans were happy with that.

“I will tell we are champions if and when it happens. In the meantime, we won’t get too carried away. We will stay calm recover, get our team ready and then next week will be incredible.

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