Celtic are a 'country mile ahead' of nearest rivals Rangers and Michael Beale still has a long way to go before proving himself, according to Hoops great Paul Lambert.

Beale has won 18 of his first 20 matches since taking the Ibrox reins from Giovanni van Bronckhorst but, crucially, has failed to beat Celtic in both meetings between the sides so far in his tenure.

A 2-2 draw in Govan at the turn of the year preceded a 2-1 League Cup final win for the Hoops in what was a dominant display from Ange Postecoglou's men.

Lambert reckons those results and the overarching inability to close the gap at the top of the Premiership to date suggests not only that Celtic are the best team in the nation but that Beale has his work cut out to do anything about it.

Michael has come in and won 18 games out of his first 20, winning one and losing one," Lambert told the Daily Record. "That’s a great start for any boss but his defeat was against Rangers in the League Cup final and the draw was against them at home, when they failed to reduce their nine-point lead.

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“That’s his marker. It’s all very well beating Hibs, Aberdeen and Motherwell but Celtic will also win against them – and probably by more goals. I was at the League Cup final and, looking at this Rangers team, they have a long, long way to go before they can think about catching Celtic.

“Michael will also be judged by his results against Celtic. Those are the games where people will say ‘let’s see what you’ve got’. You need to turn up in these games because they go a longer way than any other to deciding who’s going to win that title and, if you don’t turn up, you can’t win. These matches define seasons.

“Michael did a good job working under Steven Gerrard when Rangers stopped Celtic winning 10 in a row but he hasn’t won either of his two derby matches. Right now Celtic are a country mile ahead of them on and off the park. They’re the best team in Scotland by a long, long way.”

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