Pressure’s on
Hard-to-call Old Firm clash will be Lennon’s biggest game as Hoops boss
IT has been billed as one of the most important Old Firm games in recent times as both Rangers and Celtic arrive for this mammoth clash in a good frame of mind.
Both sides have had a busy festive period but, with 12 points apiece from their last four games, confidence will certainly not be an issue as the big two come together at Ibrox. It’s all set up to be a cracker and a great way to start 2021.
Both teams still have a lot to prove ahead of the big game, it has to be said.
Rangers will forever be scrutinised regarding their endurance for a long, tough title race until they show different.
With regards Celtic, they have to convince people they have turned the corner as a team and their recent good run is more than just a purple patch.
The jury is out on both, so it will be intriguing to see who grabs the initiative today.
So let’s get stuck into it and try and answer the obvious questions of what is at stake for both sides and where can the game be won and lost?
For the home side, Rangers, they have been relentless since day one of the Scottish Premiership, winning 19 of their 21 league games. Add to that the concession of just five goals and it shows the progress Steven Gerrard’s men have made this campaign.
A win for them would take them an incredible 19 points clear of bitter rivals Celtic and all but extinguish the current champions’ hopes of retaining the trophy they have owned for the last nine seasons. Defeat isn’t the end of the world for Rangers but that won’t come into Gerrard’s thinking.
It has to be said, although Rangers are winning games they haven’t shown the same verve as in the early part of he season.
They are managing games very well, it has to be said, but the tempo and creativity in their play has diminished somewhat. With a season defining clash on the horizon, Steven Gerrard will hope his players can raise their game.
For Gerrard himself, winning this game could be the making of him as a Rangers manager. It would see him take a massive step towards bringing the league trophy back to the blue side of Glasgow and inject real belief and confidence into his squad.
It could also psychologically convince his team that they can eventually add a trophy to go with their progress.
Getting his team selection right will be vital for him, and it is his forward players who will have given him plenty of food for thought.
Kemar Roofe has been the go-to man for Rangers in recent weeks and his nine goals in 11 games make him a guaranteed starter.
Alfredo Morelos scoring on Wednesday night at St Mirren will have been a relief to Gerrard after three months without a league goal. The fact he has yet to score in an Old Firm derby is surely also a major concern. Does he have the temperament to deal with pressure of scoring against their biggest rivals? Up to now the answer is no.
Throw into the mix the dropoff in performance of Ryan Kent, who in recent weeks has looked a shadow of himself from earlier in the season, and the Rangers manager has a couple of big decisions to make.
He will have to rely on some players for their past form as opposed to their current form.
For Celtic and Neil Lennon it is D-day in their quest for another title and there’s no getting away from it.
When the Celtic board gave Lennon their backing a while back it stated that his position would be reviewed in the New Year, which would make you think if they don’t win in the south side of Glasgow today his position could come under real scrutiny again.
What Lennon has shown in the past month or so is that he deserved the chance to resurrect Celtic’s fortunes because the upturn in performances and results has been admirable.
Neil will know himself the enormity of winning on Rangers’ home turf and the lift it would obviously give his team and him personally.
With what’s at stake and the consequences it could bring, I can’t think of a bigger game for Lennon in both spells of managing his boyhood heroes. The pressure is on more than it normally is and I expect to see his team’s attitude reflect that.
What has changed in the past month or so that has seen Celtic catch fire again?
Lennon has made a couple of distinct changes, with David Turnbull and Ismila Soro cementing their places in the centre of midfield as the first one.
He’s shown great faith in the two young men and they have repaid that faith with some topclass performances. For both players, this will be their biggest test as Celtic players, and they have to prove they are capable of handling the big occasion.
Up to now it hasn’t fazed either of them, although an Old Firm game is a different matter entirely.
Secondly, restoring the partnership of Leigh Griffiths and Odsonne Edouard that was so productive last season has brought an added attacking spark that has paid dividends up to now.
The shape of the Celtic team has been interesting because they’ve been playing without any natural width in the last few games. They’ve packed their midfield centrally. Playing that way today may just suit Rangers and allow their marauding full backs, James Tavernier and Borna Barasic, the space they want so Lennon has to be careful and considered in his formation.
It will be a brave selection for Lennon to go that way, but sometimes fortune favours the brave.
In derby games, form becomes irrelevant and, when the first whistle goes, what has gone before becomes immaterial. What happens in the next 90plus minutes is what counts.
It usually boils down to which team has the desire, the fight and the courage to go and conquer their rivals.
It really is too close to call so batten down the hatches as this is going to be a classic.