Rangers might have lost the Premiership title, but they have already started to plant doubts on Celtic for the upcoming season. The Gers went past Celtic in the latest Old Firm derby of the season with relative ease as they secured a 2-0 victory. Barring a late chance to Oliver Burke, the Bears were comfortable for the most parts, and that is what would make the defeat challenging to take for the Hoops.
The Bhoys had 57 percent possession, and they mustered up three attempts with one shot on target in the entire game. That shows how well-drilled Rangers were in playing off the ball as Celtic didn’t have a sniff until the late moments. Rangers fans have every right to be optimistic about the next season as Gerrard has showcased that this Celtic side could be beaten and hurt. Rangers’ problem this season has been consistency in performance. Now that they have won 6 in a row, they are showing that they will be capable of stopping Celtic in the next season.
In the last few years, the Bhoys had that sense of invincibility around them, and Gerrard has shattered that. It’s true that Celtic are on course to win another treble but the fears for the next season could be well seen among the Celtic faithful, and that is because of Neil Lennon.
Why Lennon is the problem?
The former Celtic player is being considered as the primary culprit here as the Hoops have looked lacklustre under him. The recent game against Rangers just signified the problems which Lennon has had since he took over. The Boys dominated possession for the most parts but they never really threatened, and they looked devoid of ideas. People might give Lennon credit for securing the treble, but we would still say that Brendan Rodgers was still the primary reason why Celtic achieved the treble again this season.
And we are not coming to this conclusion by seeing the Old Firm derby defeat. The Hoops have been average at best since February, and they have just about got the job done. Moreover, it’s the players’ individual qualities which have seen them through on occasions as the club had scored some late goals.
In terms of tactics and strategy, Lennon looks far from getting it right and now that Rangers have closed the gap on Celtic in terms of quality of players, they need a manager who can bring the best out of the current crop of players. Starting Michael Johnston ahead of Scott Sinclair in a game like this was a significant blunder, and Lennon hasn’t shown any signs yet that he is the right man to guide Celtic in the long run.
Rangers would be happy to see someone like Lennon take over and we can stick out our neck and say that the Bears will be the favourites for the next season if Lennon takes up the job permanently (Though a lot could depend on how both teams would recruit in the summer).
