After watching the last Old Firm, many fans and pundits were left with a lot of questions. Rangers, under Steven Gerrard’s management, are top of the table by some difference. To have only conceded 6 goals at this stage of the season is hugely impressive, although not unprecedented. This Rangers side could join some rarified air if they can go the distance without losing a game. The last team to do it was Celtic in 2016, chalking up 106 points in the process - before that feat, you’d have to look back to the nineties.
Being in this sort of form, therefore, you’d expect Rangers to have comfortably demolished Celtic. They did win, 2-0, however, the reactions at the final whistle seemed different this time around. Gerrard had been here before. Clear at the top of the table in the previous season, he’d witnessed his side’s form drop off a cliff, and they lost the title to Celtic.
Despite being outplayed and outperformed in this past derby day, Rangers clawed their victory and left with expressions closer to steely determination, rather than the exuberant joy Gerrard had exhibited in the same derby last year. Rangers want this title, and they’re on the right track to getting it. In fact, if they can avoid another draw and continue to win the rest of their games, they’d also break the points record for an unbeaten season. Whether they can pull it off is another question altogether.
A Game Of Two Halves
The Old Firm display was, for Rangers fans, a pyrrhic victory in some ways. However, winning in this style is a major facet of title-winning and unbeaten sides. Leicester’s 2016 Premier League title, something no one could have predicted at the season’s start, was studded with these sorts of wins. To expect to storm every game is naive. Winning on the days when you aren’t at your best, against the odds and with a dash of luck, is vital.
Rangers’ defense has been virtually impregnable this season. Manned by a starting line-up featuring Captain James Tavernier, Calvin Bassey, Filip Helander and Connor Goldson, the mix of youth, athleticism and organization has buoyed the squad on top of a rigorous defensive structure. In comparison, Neil Lennon and his Celtic team have struggled with issues at the back.
Keep Calm and Carry On
Bookies side heavily with Rangers already, football betting sites like Space Casino have the Gers at a remarkable 1/50 to win the title outright, in comparison to Celtic’s far more conservative 18/1 chances. Gerrard knows better than most that to sit back and bask at this point is not an option. He’s been there as Liverpool captain, just a few matches left in a season, only to miss the title by a whisker. Experiences like that will keep managers like Gerrard focused and honest about the approach they need to adopt.
Continued defensive mastery and consistency, even on the bad days, could carry Rangers to a title. They may not do it unbeaten, but there are good chances they’ll come out on top. However, to break records and rewrite the history books that Celtic have created, would take something special. Bookies can see Rangers dominance is unquestioned, but they’ll be keenly aware of the difficulty in pulling off a season better than 2016’s Celtic. It’s never been done before and since. It’s up to Gerrard and his squad whether they want to change that.