THAT’LL BE THE MAY!
Davidson joy as Stevie strike sinks Aberdeen
Celtic and Rangers fans are reluctant to use the evidence of their own eyes whenever they put their heartfelt feelings forward as a way of backing up an argument.
But your heart isn’t always the most reliable barometer in a results-driven business.
There isn’t any argument available for which side had the best, or the worst, defeat in the Europa League group stage on Thursday night. Both teams failed to win. End of story.
You can try to be a master of delusion and self-deception.
Or, to put it the Glasgow way, you can kid yourself on as much as you like but if you can’t defend properly then you don’t win anything.
Ange Postecoglou raises the bar, conversationally, whenever he speaks about Celtic and expresses his philosophy on how the team should play. He’s intelligent, articulate, thoughtful but also intransigent.
Ange i s an idealist and they are dreamers who can s o m e t i me s create thei r own nightmares.
He needs to allow an el ement of pragmatism to come into his thinking when poor defending becomes one of his team’s defining characteristics.
There’s no point in saying that if the opposition score two goals then Celtic will score three when the reality is Ange’s side scored three in Seville and Real Betis scored four.
After last weekend’s win over Ross Country, Postecoglou said: “What I’ve never done over the course of my whole career is do what other people suggest. I’ll always do what I feel is best.” That statement can be construed as commendable single-mindedness – or obstinacy, depending on how you got on.
The manager publicly admitted he got it wrong when playing Odsonne Edouard instead Kyogo Fu r u h a sh i through the middle in the league defeat from Rangers last month. He might now reflect on how long it took him to get the indisciplined Ismaila Soro off in Seville to be replaced by James McCarthy af ter the
Spanish side had scored their fourth goal. That was too long.
Steven Gerrard doesn’t get a free pass in that regard either.
The Rangers manager has failed to get a consistent tune out of his team so far this season.
The only domestic or European game that had his players’ undivided attention was, unsurprisingly, the one against Celtic at Ibrox.
Europe has been an unsatisfactory affair, having depar ted the Champions League qualifying r ou nd s w i t h two displays of defensive laxity against Malmo, home and away.
Lyon minus Moussa Dembele was construed as a pre-match incentive to maximise home advantage on Thursday. That didn’t go well on a night of self-inflicted wounds and indifferent performances.
If the team on the park had been as vigilant as those who protect the press area from security threats at Ibrox it might have been a less costly game. Rangers’ refusal to sell any of their prized assets during the transfer window was seen as a virtuous move at a club where the establishment of a player-trading model is understood to be a priority with regard to financial sustainability.
Observing the defensively-careless display by Ryan Kent and a something less-than-threatening performance from Alfredo Morelos up front prompted the notion that you can sometimes have your assets depreciate if you hold on to them for too long. Three wins a t home might have b e en thought what Celtic and Rangers needed in order to guarantee their progression in the Europa League. Rangers have already passed up on one of them.
This is unlikely to dampen today’s flag unfurling celebrations, of course. And the prospect of a home win for Rangers should focus the minds of Postecoglou’s players as they go for a f irst away win for Celtic since February 14 on the synthetic pitch at Livingston, which will test the resolve of newcomers who may never have seen anything like it.