PROJECT POWER
Goldson says Gers’ commanding performance at home of fierce rivals was two years in the making
LAST time round, the victory was celebrated with eye-popping, veinbulging joy.
Not this time though. Steven Gerrard’s reaction to Saturday’s Old Firm triumph at Celtic Park was as understated as his players’ celebrations on the pitch but it carried a powerful message.
The vibe that Gerrard gave off at the final blast of John Beaton’s whistle was one of a man who got exactly what he expected at the weekend.
Back in December Rangers deserved their 2-1 victory at Parkhead but it was tense and tight, played out in a powderkeg atmosphere and Gerrard almost head-butting the TV camera at the end was borne of pure adrenalin.
But such was his team’s dominance at Celtic Park on Saturday that Gerrard gave the impression that he believes this was the new normal.
That if his team turns up and plays as it can – and he stressed that they can be better than they were at the weekend – then they’ve got the measure of the champions.
He wouldn’t say as much of course but it was there in the body language.
The 2-0 victory was job done with the minimum of fuss, now let’s move on to the next one.
He was business and no boasting but when the team bus pulled back into Ibrox on Saturday afternoon, Gerrard must have allowed himself to believe that the manner of this win has laid down a marker all for the remainder of the season.
His matchwinner, Connor Goldson, hit the nail on the head when he said the performance was two years in the making.
This Rangers team is now so drilled into its shape and knowledge of each others’ movements that they could probably play together in their sleep. Goldson said: “We’ve worked on it for two years now. We’ve played against some top teams with the same shape and we’ve worked hard on it. “The new lads have bought into it and it has always seemed to work for us in big games. We know what we’re doing. We’ve been doing it for a long time, working at it in training for a long time. “It as important. Fil Helander and I have just been talking about it there – even with a minute to go you know the game is won but you don’t want to concede a goal.
“We want to keep the clean sheet record and keep as many as we can over this season. We did limit the chances against a good side.
“We had to concentrate for the full 94 minutes and we managed to do that.
“We’re just trying to be as consistent as we can, work as hard as we can in every single game and hopefully that takes us to where we want to be.”
That’s a mantra repeated by Scott Arfield, the midfielder whose form has been superb since coming into the team to compensate for the absence of Joe Aribo, who missed 10 games before making a late cameo appearance off the bench on Saturday. “Even the subs who came on The Englishman’s return, took on the information. It was coupled with the arrival of a calm performance and it’s Bogani Zungu, who will be very rarely you get that here.” available in around 10 days
This was Rangers’ 14th game time when his quarantine of the season, domestically and pe r i od ends, me a n s in Europe. They’ve won 12 of competition for places will be them, drawn two and conceded stiffer than ever. only four goals – half of them And Arfield believes that’s in one game against Hibs – great news for the club at a and Goldson admitted that time when it’s already riding keeping the back door on the crest of a wave. snibbed gave him as much He said: “It’s been about satisfaction as his double at waiting for my chance but the weekend. that’s testament to the quality
The former Brighton of player we’ve brought in. defender told Rangers TV: “When you do that you have “For me the clean sheet is just to take it and I feel I’ve taken
Gerrard has made sure his players know their jobs worked and we limited them to not many chances.”
Right from the start on Saturday Rangers played like a team that knew they’d win and therefore the victory, when it came, was no surprise. Hence the understated celebrations.
Gerrard said: “We scored two goals and could have scored maybe one or two more, so the players have given me everything I’ve asked from them and they carried the game plan out really well.
“We can still be better in certain parts but we got what we deserved.
“The result is all we were after. The three points were very important.
“We gave them a gameplan and a lot of information in a short space of time but they deserve all the plaudits and the credit because to a man they carried it out.
that opportunity. I’m happy but it’s only six-seven games I’ve been in for and I’m nowhere near happy enough just to do that and sit back in the stand.
“If I drive on and the team drives on then it leaves us in a better place going forward.
“We’ve coped very well. You’ve got a responsibility to perform at a club like this. Whether there’s fans or not, you know they’re watching on television.
“You have a duty to take care of business and unfortunately for us there are no fans there to enjoy the good moments, like the Galatasaray game where the place would have been jumping.
“We just need to crack on. It’s out of our hands and the important thing is for people to stay safe. Football is just another aspect of life.
“Of course everybody wants to see fans back in as soon as possible but the bigger picture is to stay safe, stay away and let us get on with it.”
Right now they’re doing that admirably but nobody at Ibrox is getting carried away.
Perhaps the memory of getting overexcited at Parkhead in December, then blowing it after the winter break, means there’s no chance of anyone in Gerrard’s squad getting ahead of themselves.
Goldson said: “It’s so early in the season – 11 games played.
“We just need to go on now. Obviously we’ve got the European game on Thursday and we’ve a home game next weekend where we need to get another three points and keep progressing as much as we can.”