When Mark Warburton vacated the hot-seat at the Ibrox Stadium in mysterious circumstances, it went without saying that whosoever was to opt the steering wheel after him would have to endure the baptism of fire. Taking care Rangers was never going to be easy for even the best of the managers, and thus, Pedro Caixinha’s appointment did worry the Rangers faithful and the media alike. The Portuguese is almost unfamiliar with Scottish football and without any shadow of a doubt, it was always destined to be his toughest test.
Caixinha is already feeling the heat as under his tutelage, the Gers have registered two defeats against their arch rivals Celtic. Apart from the fact that the Celts have been on another pedestal this season in the domestic competitions, the gravity of a couple of events, namely, knocking Rangers out of the Scottish Cup in the semi-finals and to worsen the wound, outclassing the Light Blues by garnering a thumping 5-1 win in the league game last weekend have been too hard to bear for the Glasgow-based club.
At this stroke of the hour, the animosity which is seen during the local rivalries between the clubs is simply unparallel. Challenging Brendan Rodgers’ men was one of the things in the to-do list for the former Al Gharafa boss but sadly, he has failed to construct anything monumental in his infant reign.
The squad he inherited lacks everything, and a complete overhauling would be needed in the summer. The goals have dried up, the passion has ceased to exist and the energy from the players seems to have evaporated this season. Ramifications are needed, but basically, to bring parity with Celtic, they would need to dish out exceptional ideas.
Caixinha’s midfield lacks the ability to grind and keep possession, which jeopardises the backline more often than not. They also do not have the physicality or pace for outmuscling or outrunning opponents with repute. The attacking setup has relied on the ageing 37-year-old hitman in the shape of Kenny Miller, and poverty in generating ideas as well as the absence of vision or clinical attitude up front has haunted them time and again. Their defence looks frail too, and there is an apparent lack of mental strength to inject resilience into their own selves.
Yes, it would be unfair to make a report card on Caixinha’s tenure so far, but the Teddy Bears should be tactically setup in a better manner in the future. His rigorous 4-4-2 system against Celtic backfired terribly as it went haywire throughout the game.
Ordinary defence, spineless midfield and timorous attacking arsenal are to be sorted before getting to the blackboard to dish out the tactical nous. Caixinha would be cut some slack because the time-frame he has operated in so far isn’t really adequate but in the summer transfer window, he has to take a number bold moves to give a commanding look to the Rangers side and to resurrect them in an adequate manner.
Can he do it? Only time will tell.
