Rangers have been able to cut the gap to two points at the top of the table and are also in with an excellent chance of getting out of a tight Europa League group even though they suffered a defeat against Spartak Moscva recently. Not many gave a chance to Gerrard and his players to make the turnaround in the former Liverpool man’s first season, but the Gers fans should be positive about their title chances when club football resumes after the international break.
However, the next few games could be the deciding factor and the games are going to come thick and fast and would be against tough opponents. Many people have pointed out Rangers’ away record as the deciding factor, but under Gerrard, they have improved on that and currently both the Glaswegian giants have racked up the same number of points away from home.
Former Rangers defender Craig Moore believes that the fans would be able to know by the end of the year whether the Gers are really in with a chance at the title. He said, ”Everyone has their opinion on whether or not Rangers can genuinely challenge Celtic for the title this season. Knowing the club the way I do, I can assure you that’s what everyone within Ibrox is striving for.
“It’s going to be a big test for them because Celtic, despite a slow start to the season, appear to have found their stride. But what happens over the next six weeks will tell us a lot. The busy festive season is always an extremely important period that has a major say on what impact a club can make.”
“While the table looks really competitive now with Rangers, Hearts and Hibs up there plus Kilmarnock and Aberdeen looking strong, a few will probably fall away over the next few weeks. Especially with the size of some of these games. It will separate the men from the boys and decide whether Celtic will have a serious challenge this season.”
Moore is right in his assessment as the Gers are going to play Villareal, Hearts and Aberdeen back to back and these are the kind of games which can turn around the season.
The Bears need to be relentless in this phase and smart about how they rotate their squad in this busy period. Every member of the roster would have to step up and be counted, and Gerrard’s summer signings would have to pull through this tough time to show their real mettle.
These fixtures will also test the players mentally as the margin for errors would be less. However, this busy period also gives them an opportunity to pull clear from the pack and rise as a genuine contender. With Celtic playing an extra League Cup fixture, the Gers should look to take advantage of that and make their extra rest count.
