Rangers absolutely rocked the boat with two massive Old Firm wins in a lightning-fast seven days, and Ryan Naderi, the forward who clinched one of those victories, is pointing straight to squad unity as the revival’s engine. This double-whammy isn’t just bragging rights either; it’s slashed Celtic’s lead at the top of the table down to a mere two points right before the international break. What a swing, right?
The Defensive Blueprint That’s Changing Everything
Naderi, fresh off scoring the only goal at Celtic Park on Sunday for a 1-0 Premiership victory, knows exactly what’s driving this upturn. He told STV News that the defense is the real MVP. We’re talking compact play, constant communication between teammates, and routinely shutting down opponents to finish matches without conceding. That kind of rock-solid platform is what lets the attackers breathe and find those game-deciding moments. Naderi put it perfectly: “I think you see this togetherness by the goals we concede, not many. We play a lot of games to zero, which means that we are very compact. We work together, we look at each other, where the person next to you stands. Defensively, when you are so stable, you will always have chances to score, and then you win games.”
And he’s got the proof to back it up. After last weekend’s 3-0 Premier Sports Cup win at Ibrox, McInnes kept the exact same starting XI for the Celtic Park clash. That continuity helped the squad maintain its shape, restricting Celtic through the middle and forcing them to look for openings elsewhere. After Naderi netted in the 33rd minute, the visitors didn’t need some frantic, desperate performance; they defended their lead, created chances after the break, and McInnes felt they absolutely deserved the three points, even suggesting they could have scored more. Remember that earlier 3-0 win? Dan Neil bagged two goals, Kevin Kelsy added another, but it was all built on that defensive core.
Two Wins, But Keep Your Feet on the Ground
While this double over Celtic is, as Naderi put it, an “amazing feeling,” the man himself is wisely pumping the brakes on any premature celebrations. He’s a summer signing, and he gets it. “It’s awesome to be honest, to win two times against Celtic and then go into a break is an amazing feeling. You will carry this throughout the days and weeks off,” he said. But he’s also warning the squad not to get carried away. “We still have to understand we have a whole season in front of us still, so we should just keep this up, not fly too high, just stay focused and keep going as we are, stay together as a team.”
He’s not wrong. A long season stretches ahead. The team has hit an incredible stride, cutting Celtic’s lead to just two points. The international break gives everyone a chance to reset, but the real test will be if Rangers can maintain this defensive structure and that insane squad unity when they come back. Can they keep their feet on the ground and ride this wave to what would be an incredible season? You know we’ll be watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply