Rangers have undoubtedly made progress this season as they look to overhaul Celtic’s dominance in Scottish football, but for a club with their history slow and steady progress is not enough. Still facing a 13-point gap to Neil Lennon’s side and insurmountable odds on the melbet app, Steven Gerrard will likely be using the lockdown to plan an assault on next season’s title. But why are Rangers still lagging behind?
A key area Rangers still fall behind Celtic in is the recruitment of younger players and it is clear that the Ibrox players still rely on a number of experienced veterans. Over-30s Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield, Jermain Defoe and Steven Davis have all been regulars this season, while no teenagers have featured in league matches for the Gers.
Meanwhile, Celtic have blooded the likes of Stephen Welsh, Patryk Klimala and Karamoko Dembele, while Jeremie Frimpong, Odsonne Eduoard and Kristoffer Ajer have all been regulars. Scott Brown is also the only outfield player over 30 to have made more than 10 league starts, with the bulk of their squad in their mid-20s.
There has clearly been a realisation at Rangers that this is an issue and to their credit, they are taking steps to refresh their squad. Loanees Sheyi Ojo and Ianis Hagi have added some energy and quality in attack, while Joe Aribo and Glen Kamara have become more established in midfield. However, there is something of a dearth of academy players making the step up and this will be a concern for Gerrard.
With a number of young players out on loan, the club can look to provide some of their youth prospects with more opportunities or look to bring in young players from elsewhere. With the transfer market likely to impacted, this looks to be a more important strategy than ever and unless Rangers can start to match Celtic in terms of youth development, they will continue to lag behind.