Celtic pick up their Premiership campaign at Dundee on Sunday after Rodgers admitted their were “nowhere near” the levels they want last time out.(Image: SNS Group)

Anthony Ralston has demanded Celtic start suffocating teams again in a bid to breathe fresh life into their season.

The Hoops defender says it’s time Brendan Rodgers’ players got ruthless as they bid to get back on top.

Rodgers himself admitted his side were “nowhere near” their level after a 92nd minute Daizen Maeda winner saw off Motherwell last time out.

It follows a stuttering start to the season that’s seen Celtic dumped out of Champions League qualifying, take one point from six so far in the Europa League and hit five blanks – the same as the whole of last season – already.

Celtic sit second behind Hearts ahead of the visit to Dundee on Sunday. And Ralston has urged his team mates to show their true quality by going up the gears.

He said: “Yeah, I think we’ve got levels to show, 100 per cent. That’s clear to see. The performances over the course of time shows that we’ve got levels to go.

“It’s important when you’re in that moment and the performances haven’t been where we want them to be, you need to then realise the results are there. That’s the main thing.

“But, in turn, we need to then get the performances to go hand in hand with that. It’s more to show our football style and what we want to implement in the game.

“That’s suffocating teams off the ball, being aggressive in our press and then in possession just attack, score goals and be ruthless.

“That’s what we’re about. We’re a ruthless team and we’ve got so much quality and we’ve got so much talent within the squad. We should be showing more of that.

“It’s important that within that the victories are coming and they have been. We just need to keep that going as well as picking the performances up.”

Derek McInnes’ table-topping Jambos have raised hopes across the M8 that a title tilt could be about to arrive from outwith Glasgow.

It’s been 40 years since anyone outwith the Old Firm were crowned champions. But, asked if he takes the Hearts challenge seriously with the Tynecastle men top of the pile, Ralston said: “We’re aware that’s the case but for us it’s just about focusing on what we can control.

“What we can control is game-by-game, starting on Sunday, to pick up wins, to get a performance level we want and demand the best of each other in training every day, which in fairness we’re doing. We’ll just take care of that in ourselves and everything will work out from there.”

Across the city Rangers are preparing to unveil another new manager. But Ralston insists he paying no notice of their rivals. He said: “It’s not something that me or any of the boys would look at, to be honest. We’ve got so much going on in terms of what we want to achieve as a club and as a squad.”