Rangers had a flying start this season under new boss Steven Gerrard as he rebuilt the squad with multiple inclusions and transformed them into potential title contenders to diminish Celtic’s domestic dominance. But the Gers have failed to maintain the momentum and are now eight points adrift of the Hoops in the Premiership standings following a few upsetting outcomes.
Gerrard aimed silverware in his maiden managerial campaign but admitted the unlikeliness of clinching the Scottish crown with nine games left. However, he is solely focusing on the Scottish Cup title ahead of Tuesday night’s quarter-final tie against Aberdeen at the Ibrox and motivating his men to avoid another disappointment after bowing down to the Dons in the League Cup semi-finals.
The Light Blues scripted a scrappy draw at Pittodrie after falling behind in early minutes. A replay at home must be a massive boost, but the gaffer is cautious and in no mood of playing the tie down having targetted it from the beginning of the season.
The iconic Liverpool skipper is open to criticism if he fails to end Rangers’ trophy drought but vowed to fight for success and bring those glory days back for the dejected supporters.
“But one thing I can guarantee is that, whatever happens, whether it’s deemed a success or not, I won’t give up my charge to try and turn it around at Rangers and get these fans some success.”
Stated Gerrard (as quoted by the Daily Record) had this to say. The Bears have undeniably closed the gap with Celtic but must deliver the results on a more consistent basis to attain league success knocking the Bhoys off their perch.
The departure of Brendan Rodgers created a chaotic environment at Parkhead. Although they took no time to re-appoint Neil Lennon as the new Celtic chief, a likely summer overhaul would disrupt the champions’ stability and balance all over the pitch. This, in turn, should boost the Gers up in reclaiming the throne and the gaffer, too, needs to fix a few issues at the earliest before the inception of the upcoming campaign.
Gerrard has strengthened the squad significantly but struggled to find a formation incorporating his key resources. A 4-3-3 was working well initially. However, a few underwhelming results led him to tweak the setup and opt for a 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-4-1 at times. Yet he has shown his flexibility and sportsmanship by accepting criticism. A strong base has now been built after years of misery and Rangers must keep on making progress to win the Premiership next season finally.
