CLASH TIGHT OF THE UNS
Title duel is so close but I’m KennyMiller
It’s gearing up to be one of the
tightest Premiership title races in a long time.
But of course, with my blue-tinted specs on, I have to fancy Rangers to nick it. Even if I take the emotion out of it, there are reasons why I believe Gio van Bronckhorst’s side can be champions. When one of the Old Firm clubs loses the league flag the year before, there’s a feeling of intense pressure to win it back.
Just like Celtic felt last season.
I know they weren’t fancied at the start of the campaign when Ange Postecoglou had just arrived in Glasgow.
At that point, no one could see them finishing top.
But for the fans and the players there was such a hunger and desire to get their hands on that trophy again.
That pressure of not wanting Rangers to make it two then maybe three titles in a row – that’s what drove them on. When Celtic got their act together and gained a bit of momentum, there was no stopping them.
They were relentless in pursuit of what they felt was theirs.
And I expect the same kind of response from Rangers this term. Listen, these teams can hardly be split. There’s nothing between them. Look at the last three Old Firm derbies from last season. A win, a loss and a draw for each of them.
Every one of those matches was really evenly matched and won by the odd goal.
So it’s as tight as two coats of paint and almost impossible to predict. But even with two good teams, it’s possible that one might not have a great season. When I arrived at Rangers for the first time in 2000, the squad I walked into was a galaxy of international stars.
We had Gio, Arthur Numan, Jorg Albertz, Lorenzo Amoruso, Michael Mols, Ronald de Boer, Claudio Reyna, Tugay, Rod Wallace, Sergio Porrini and Andrei Kanchelskis. What did we win that season? Absolutely NOTHING.
We had a really bad year. For that squad and that team not to win anything was just ridiculous.
But we were up against a brilliant Celtic team at the time.
Right now, the squads probably aren’t at that level in terms of big names and status.
Across the city, they had the likes of Henrik Larsson, Stan Petrov and Lubo Moravcik, to name a few.
So the quality probably isn’t the same and the player profiles were higher 20 years ago.
But in regards to how evenly matched the sides are, it’s similar now.
As a fan, I’ll always back Rangers at the start of a season.
And because it’s so tight, that’s allowed. Tipping them to be champions isn’t exactly an outlandish prediction. I’ve got confidence Gio and the players will get the job done.
Last season, there was a capitulation after the winter break in the title race.
That lack of consistency MUST be addressed this year. Because in three of the last four campaigns it has happened to Rangers.
But I genuinely feel the pressure of having to regain that flag can get them over the line. It gives them the edge.
As ever, the Old Firm games will be pivotal. They were last season.
When Celtic beat Rangers 3-0 at Parkhead to go top of the league for the first time, it was a huge statement. The momentum shift was crucial for them.
Their 2-1 win at Ibrox was also key. Rangers flew out of the blocks but Celtic turned it round and showed another side.
Again, that doggedness is something you need to become champions.
But the flip side, of course, is that dropped points against the likes of Aberdeen, Motherwell and Ross County really were really costly to Gio.
So it’s about consistency. And whether your new signings hit the ground running. There’s a lot of pressure and expectation on you when you arrive at the Glasgow clubs.
They’ll find that out next weekend. Even though it’s the first game of the season, they HAVE to win.
That will be a new experience for most of them. They can’t afford to drop points and not every player responds well to that.
Certain individuals need a settling-in
period. Look at John Lundstram for Rangers and Giorgos Giakoumakis at Celtic last season.
They were outstanding in the second half of the campaign. But initially? People were talking about moving both of them on. So the impact of new players will be important.
Both teams have strengthened in the areas we expected them to.
But the one player I’m really excited about is Tom Lawrence at Rangers.
What he adds is goals. He’s a constant threat and has real quality. He’s hungry to score and that’s what was missing from Gio’s side last season.
They can’t just rely on the central strikers, whether it’s Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe or Antonio Colak.
Lawrence has already shown what he can do with his goal against West Ham in last week’s friendly.
Rangers haven’t had someone like that, who arrives in the box late to score, for a long time.
Lawrence wants goals and he could be a difference-maker this season.