Brendan Rodgers is sending subtle Celtic signal as Rangers boss Philippe Clement frays around the edges – Keith Jackson

Let's be honest, there was an unfortunate touch of the Charlie Nicholas vs Jeff Stelling ‘You should go to Specsavers also’ about it.

But when Philippe Clement bit down on the bait dangled for him by Brendan Rodgers on Sunday, it provided a fascinating insight into the mindset of the two managers who are about to engage in a winner-takes-all derby double. One of these men will wrap a hand around the Premiership trophy this weekend when Rangers arrive at Celtic Park for a potential title decider.

Victory for either might not be enough to actually seal the deal but it will guarantee that the momentum is claimed by one of them with only two more rounds of league fixtures remaining. With so much about to go on the line – and a Scottish Cup Final showdown still to come at the end of the month – both men will be feeling the pressure squeezing hard on their shoulders.

They’re just adopting different ways of dealing with it. Because, although this absorbing head-to-head has the potential to become very complicated from here on in, the arithmetic behind it remains simple enough to understand. A share of the spoils on Saturday lunchtime would be enough to keep Rodgers in pole position just yards out from the finishing line, three points ahead and five goals better off into the bargain.

And those numbers will be one reason why the Irishman feels relaxed enough to refer to the final Old Firm tussle of what has been, to this point, a tumultuous top flight campaign as a “bit of fun”. Clement came across as being strangely prickly when he made a point of responding to Rodgers’ words without the need for any prompting following his own side’s 4-1 win over Kilmarnock 24 hours later.

The Belgian went on to insist his counterpart was being purposefully disrespectful and it did all feel a little bit unnecessary and manufactured - bordering on infantile. But the whole curious spat is more than just a storm in a teacup where this age-old rivalry is concerned – it’s also indicative of the way both of these men are about to approach what lies ahead in the coming days and weeks.

It must be said, Rodgers himself has been prone to taking the odd nibble throughout a difficult second album as Celtic ’s manager – especially when it seemed that Clement was about to claim the upper hand. That’s when he began blethering about writing stories and then painted a target on his own back with his irritated “good girl” spiel.

The faux outraged and grossly overblown reaction to that pitchside interview with the BBC’s Jane Lewis in the immediate aftermath of a dramatic but unconvincing win at Motherwell merely served to heighten his persecution complex. For a while – and maybe even understandably – Rodgers took on the demeanour of a man who suspected everyone might out to unsettle him, not just the new manager on the other side of the city. And it didn’t suit him.

But it was also around that time when Rodgers appeared to pivot. That bin fire of an afternoon at Fir Park came at the end of February. The following weekend, at the start of March, Rodgers reacted badly again following a controversial defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle – a result which also happened to let Clement off the hook.

Just 24 hours earlier, Motherwell made the trip to Ibrox and came away with the shock 2-1 win which, in retrospect, did so much to rip the rug out from under Rangers’ feet. Suddenly, the messaging coming out from Lennoxtown began to sound very different.

If anything, Rodgers almost returned to a zen-like state of mind as he headed towards another derby day of monumental importance on April 7. It was during those weeks that he began to talk repeatedly about the importance of remaining calm and staying focussed entirely on the stuff that matters.

Three wins on the bounce steadied the ship before Rodgers came within seconds of managing another Old Firm victory at Ibrox. Even though Rangers celebrated Rabbi Matondo’s injury-time equaliser as if the league itself had been secured, Rodgers made his way back across the Clyde with a renewed spring in his step.

By avoiding defeat on enemy soil, Celtic kept their noses in front at the top of the table and ensured that any subsequent gap Rangers might open up with a game still in hand would remain controllable. Which is precisely the way Rodgers likes it.

That Rangers then stumbled all the way from Dingwall to Dens Park will have helped to further lower the stress levels of a manager who has the benefit of having gone over this course and distance before. As a consequence it has been Clement who has started to become a little spiky and frayed around the edges in recent weeks. His “we will have fun also” remark on Sunday smacked of a man spoiling for a fight.

Rodgers, on the other hand, is very deliberately giving off the vibe of someone who feels in such complete control of his own destiny that he can sit back and enjoy watching it all come together. By very consciously uncoupling himself from the stresses and the strains around this pressure-cooker race to the finishing line – or at least by appearing to do so – Celtic’s manager is sending out a subtle signal that he’s got this campaign exactly where he wants it.

Of course, he could become rattled by Clement all over again if Rangers do dig out the result they require on Saturday at his expense. But, for the time being at least, Rodgers seems determined to relish being the man in charge.