Rangers just bagged their second Old Firm derby win in a week, shutting down Celtic 1-0 at Celtic Park after last Sunday’s 3-0 League Cup thrashing at Ibrox. If you’d told anyone a month ago this was coming, they’d have laughed you out of the pub, especially after those humiliating Europa League and Conference League exits against Jagiellonia Bialystok and Jablonec. This team looked completely lost, alarm bells were ringing, and the gap to Celtic felt like a chasm. Now? They’ve clinched their sixth straight victory, those back-to-back derby triumphs have narrowed the gap to Celtic to just two points, and it’s looking like a whole new squad.
From Lost Cause to McInnes Masterclass
Manager Derek McInnes himself said he was “embarrassed” by the European exits and that the early season criticism was tough. But boy, has he flipped the script! Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday nailed it on BBC Scotland’s Sportsound, talking about how just a month ago, everyone was saying, “it doesn’t look like a Derek McInnes team.” They weren’t organized, aggressive, or athletic. Now? Halliday sees a “front foot, aggressive, making contact with people” team that’s “running forward and putting Celtic under constant pressure for large parts of the game.” McInnes likes putting his name to this team, and honestly, who wouldn’t? This is pure, unadulterated momentum.
The Wall That’s Built for Winning
You wanna talk about defense? This Rangers side has conceded just once in their last six games. Remember those first seven games when they kept only one clean sheet? Talk about a turnaround! McInnes has shown over 800 games he can organize a team to be tough to beat, and his Hearts side last season conceded the fewest in the Premiership. Now we’re seeing that magic here. Dujon Sterling at right-back is locked in, forming a physically imposing unit with Emmanuel Fernandez and Olwethu Makhanya inside him. Makhanya was even named man-of-the-match, bringing calm authority, while Fernandez, after an early booking and a dodgy challenge he got away with, still made 11 clearances and repelled everything. This defensive solidity even lets James Penrice maraud forward from left-back, adding numbers to the midfield. And in the middle, Dan Neil and Nico Raskin are absolutely running the show. McInnes called his midfield “terrific,” saying they filled the midfield with “even more bodies” and made sure they “weren’t going to get overrun.” Celtic was restricted to just one shot on target, for crying out loud! Rangers made 75 fewer passes than Celtic overall but 50 *more* in the opposition’s half. That’s getting stuck in, that’s playing forward, and that’s winning football.
Naderi’s goal sealed the deal in that 1-0 derby, but it’s the collective belief and the McInnes blueprint that has truly arrived. These guys went from a team that looked lost, facing real pressure, to a squad playing “front foot, aggressive,” as Halliday put it. McInnes himself said his midfield was “terrific” and that the team looks “far more calm, far more settled.” With the gap to Celtic down to just two points, you gotta wonder what this reborn Rangers squad is going to do next. The league better be ready.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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