IT’S NOW OR NEVER FOR ROOFE & RAMSEY
Fit-again pair need to step up in title crunch
MEMORIES of that hefty defeat at Celtic Park will have been gnawing away at the Rangers players since February. Dominated and beaten 3-0 by half-time, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side simply didn’t turn up. They will be itching for retribution.
With the Ibrox crowd behind them, I’m sure Rangers will feel confident of making amends — but that will be so much harder without Alfredo Morelos.
Because he is still the go-to guy. And if he is out with a thigh injury, then that could mean an absence of several weeks.
Last month, I wrote that certain members of the Rangers squad needed to put their hands up and allow Van Bronckhorst to freshen things up. The time is now and the focus will be on Kemar Roofe and Aaron Ramsey in particular.
Losing Morelos weakens Rangers in attack but they pay Roofe handsomely. He is there to be ready.
Rangers have shelled out a lot of money both in wages and a hefty transfer fee to Anderlecht for a guy who has not been starting.
I thought it was a really good signing at the time and you would have to say he has done okay.
But he has been at Rangers for 18 months now and has never really won that fight with Morelos for the jersey.
Steven Gerrard played them together at times with Roofe drifting from that narrow front three, but it never really convinced.
Gerrard probably
There are two derbies to go and it’s up to Rangers to derail Celtic
expected him to do a bit more but I think he still has a capability to be the difference maker today.
He is a good finisher and his all-round game is good. He just looks as if he maybe needs a good, injury-free run of games.
He has had one or two wee fitness issues but has a visible confidence on the pitch and you would expect him to take his chances.
Rangers will need that in the run-in because Morelos is such a big loss. He has always been available, he is a strong, squat, robust boy. He is not the most athletic but he is a handful and Rangers need to find a way to cope with his absence.
Ramsey arrived on loan from Juventus in time to watch that last Old Firm game from the stand and he also needs to step up.
Having scored in Rangers’ last game at Dens Park and turned in an impressive performance for his country in the World Cup play-offs, he might just be finding his stride.
Wales play a back five with a box in midfield and he plays in one of those high positions. He has always been one of the best counter-attacking midfielders around, making those trademark runs into the box.
When he came in, he was clearly short of match practice, had a little calf knock and hasn’t got going.
We’re at the business end of the season now and big players should be coming to the fore.
Rangers could do with his influence and it feels like he has to play. If Ramsey gets anywhere near what he is capable of, he could be a major player today.
I think he will play, while Ryan Kent is in a good place and Van Bronckhorst will hope to get a wee bit more out of Joe Aribo, too.
Rangers need to sow that seed of doubt in Celtic, who have been going along so confidently that it’s difficult to see them dropping points elsewhere in the run-in.
There are two derbies to go and it’s up to Rangers to derail them.
Celtic have the three-point lead and superior goal difference, so the emphasis is on Rangers.
Ange Postecoglou will know that a draw is not the worst result, but he has already said that he is going to try to win it.
It’s ironic that just as Rangers lose Morelos, Celtic have Kyogo Furuhashi back now.
Postecoglou doesn’t give a lot away. But I think he will be tempted to play Kyogo (right).
Giorgos Giakoumakis has his qualities — he is a good finisher and has shown himself to be a handful. But if Kyogo is anywhere near at it then he is the type of striker who can cause Rangers more problems. Only Postecoglou knows how fit he is — and, although I think you will definitely see him at some point today, I would be surprised if he started.
All the Japanese players have looked naturally fit, they have arrived with bags of energy. However, if you have not been training because of a hamstring injury then a start in an Old Firm game might be a wee bit ambitious. Where Postecoglou might change the mix is in midfield. Nir Bitton has the experience both for this type of game and of winning trophies. The manager will be drawn to that. When Bitton is there, it frees up Callum McGregor, who will always be influential in a game no matter where he plays.
I think he can do some of his better attacking work when Bitton is there.
Matt O’Riley and Tom Rogic can do that, too, and Reo Hatate offers something different. He might not always possess the same calmness in possession but brings a tempo and enthusiasm.
McGregor is nailed on and then it will be two from those remaining four.
You saw in the last Old Firm game just how important the signings of Hatate and O’Riley were in that transfer window.
Celtic needed to bolster the squad to navigate the games and that is exactly what Ange did in January.
In those first months of the season, you felt that if either Kyogo or McGregor was out they might struggle. Well, they have been
without Kyogo since Boxing Day and they haven’t.
There have been times when four or five starters have been out but they have had good options on the bench.
Giakoumakis has shown that he can be a contributor and give them something different up front.
Daizen Maeda perhaps lacks a bit of quality but gives them non-stop energy up there and is another good option in attack.
They have come through what will prove to be the most arduous part of the season and are top.
There has been a big points swing since Boxing Day when Kyogo last played.
Draws happen but there has been extra scrutiny on Rangers because Celtic have been so consistent.
The Parkhead side have been churning out win after win but it could still change quickly.
Rangers have the quality to win every game between now and the end of the season... and they may have to.
This is where it gets serious. The league is not easy to win and both teams still have it all to do.
If Celtic win, they are six points ahead with that better goal difference. Even with one more derby to go, that’s a big gap.
And if they don’t lose, they remain in pole position.
If both teams reach their levels, we are in for a top match. And it might come down to the team that is more robust defending their box.
Rangers have the experience of winning last year’s title and will have taken confidence from their European exploits, swatting away some top teams along the any.
Van Bronckhorst’s squad is good enough to win a title but they have to go and demonstrate that.
If they can deal with today’s match then it is proper game on. They will finally start to feel better for that defeat at Celtic Park.
I don’t see Rangers losing it. But I’m not convinced they can win it without Morelos.