John Barnes has issued a sparkling comparison of the key traits pushing Rangers and Liverpool towards league title victories.
The former Celtic boss insists he sees shared characteristics in the teams led by Steven Gerrard and Jurgen Klopp.
Barnes' old club Liverpool romped to the Premier League title last term and now Rangers have surged 22 points clear in their bid to break Celtic 's dominance.
He cited "harmony, togetherness and belief" as pivotal to the sides' edging out victories even when they aren't at their best.
Gerrard's team sneaked a victory over their Glasgow rivals earlier this month despite being second best for much of the match and Barnes reckons it's a "perfect scenario".
He told The Football Pass : "When you have a situation whereby the harmony, togetherness and the belief is there, you can win football matches even if you don't play sparkling football.
"That's the sign of champions.
"I've always felt Liverpool, two years ago when they lost the league, they had to play well to win.
"When you look at teams of the past who were champions, you pick up points even when you necessarily play well.
"That, for me, is the perfect scenario.
"You can't always guarantee you're going to play well all the time.
"But you have to guarantee if you don't play well, 'we're not going to lose and we can win'.
"That's what's happening at Rangers at the moment."
