Analysis Corner: Rangers v Celtic Review

By Dougie Wright (@dougie_wright)

On Saturday afternoon, Celtic overcame a stubborn Rangers side to record a 2-0 win at Ibrox Stadium. Here’s how the game flowed, where it turned, and what both sides can learn from the outcome:

Rangers Difficulty in Transitions

Usually a team has different shapes for when they’re defending and when they’re attacking. For instance, some teams will form a tight 4-1-4-1 when they’re out of possession, before moving into a 4-3-3 when they win it back. What they do in the immediate aftermath of winning or losing possession is known as their transitions.

On Saturday, Rangers defended reasonably well. The defence and midfield were both made up of units of 4, while Carlos Pena and Alfredo Morelos sat a little higher. They all stuck pretty closely together, meaning that Celtic didn’t initially get much joy in the Rangers half.

However, when they did frustrate Celtic, it appeared that the team were not quick enough getting into their attacking shape.

There were occasions where Daniel Candeias or Josh Windass would break free on their respective flanks, only to find nobody around them to pass to. On the rare occasions that they did get the ball into the Celtic box, there was nowhere near enough support following up from the centre to keep the momentum up.

Consider this, when a cross from the right was blocked away by Jozo Simunovic:

Teams should be absolutely pouncing on a loose ball on the edge of the box, but as you can see, nobody was there for Rangers to do so.

Caixinha will argue that it’s the price you pay for keeping Celtic’s midfield in check in the centre, but it does result in a blunt attacking threat.

A Tale of Two Substitutions

After the first goal went in, both managers made a substitution that effectively ensured that the three points would belong to Celtic.

The hosts exchanged Carlos Peña for Kenny Miller, seemingly in a direct reaction to going a goal down.

10 minutes afterwards, Brendan Rodgers swapped goalscorer Tom Rogic for Callum McGregor.

Carlos Peña had neither a great game nor a terrible one. He didn’t do much right, nor did he do much wrong. However, he did manage to shadow Scott Brown for much of the first half. This meant that if the Celtic captain wanted the ball, he’d have to drop deep to get it.

Unfortunately for Rangers, Kenny Miller did not continue in this manner. Consider where Brown was able to receive the ball before and after Rangers’ substitution:

In the first one, he’s level with Simunovic, facing his own goal, with Peña right on him. In the second, he has plenty of time and space to pick a pass. You let Scott Brown do this, and you let Celtic control the game.

This control was strengthened by the McGregor substitution. Rogic is excellent with the ball at his feet, but with a cluttered centre of the pitch, Celtic really needed somebody who could drop into the pockets of space between the Rangers defence and midfield.

Take a look at McGregor’s contribution in this pass map:

All but two of his passes were played from the Rangers half, and all but one went into the Rangers half. Keeping the ball in this neck of the woods is no easy task, but it’s one McGregor excels at.

Lessons Learned

Beyond the scoreline, both sides can take a few lessons from this game going forwards.

For Celtic, this was further evidence that Callum McGregor can be the key to unlocking a stuffy centre. When there’s more space available, Tom Rogic is perhaps the better option due to his passing and shooting range. However, for the quick two touch play that drags opponents around the pitch, McGregor is the man.

As for Rangers, it served as a reminder of the quality they need to reach if they want to lay a glove on their city rivals. Particularly on the ball, the Ibrox side looked pretty one dimensional. There is obvious sympathy for Caixinha in looking to play a more defensive game after the 5-1 loss last season, but his side must have more ideas when they do get on the ball.

Watch Dougie's video analysis of all the goals here:

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