Rangers and Celtic ‘neck and neck’ before transfers made – Scott McDonald
Rangers were narrowly beaten to the Scottish Premiership title by Old Firm rivals Celtic in 2021-22 but they were not too far apart.
The Hoops were able to win a decisive game at Parkhead with a goal-fest in the first half to succeed 3-0 and that proved to be the crucial game as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Bears could not exact revenge.
Former Celtic player Scott McDonald though sees both sides as very level in terms of quality and that it was only Ange Postecoglu’s tactical nouse that saw his side prevail.
“Celtic had the better season. They won two trophies, Rangers won one,” he said on the Go Radio Football Show. “They’re into the Champions League and get that money, Rangers still have to do that.”
“It’s good for Scottish football though, with the success both teams have had. Rangers in Europa has been great and promoting Scottish football and getting coefficient points up there.
“People will say I’m biased and it’s not to say Giovanni hasn’t done an excellent job as well.
“It’s neck and neck at the moment. When Celtic beat Rangers in that first game when van Bronckhorst took over, you’re asking if he’s got the answers to Celtic and come back.
“He was out-thought in the game and he’s come back and shown he’s more than capable from a tactical perspective to challenge Celtic.”
Last hurdle
Beating the likes of Dundee and Motherwell has never been a problem for van Bronckhorst but he knows as well as anyone that it isn’t those games that win a league title in Scotland.
To do that, you simply have to beat your Old Firm rivals and Celtic were able to do that in the 2021-22 season and we weren’t it’s as simple as that.
The last hurdle the boss has to overcome now is that league victory against Celtic and he should have all the confidence to go and do that having knocked them out of the Scottish Cup after extra time in the semi-final at Hampden Park.
They went on to win that trophy of course even after the heartbreak of losing the Europa League final on penalties just days earlier in Seville but that victory against Hearts is what he needs to build on.
To bounce back from the gut-wrenching loss earlier that week, having played more games than anybody else in the country that season, and win in such a manner was extraordinary and if we can start like that this time around, that title will be in our hands again.
In other Rangers news, despite showing interest in this striker who is available for free, the Light Blues believe there are better options available to them at the moment.