Rangers have ‘hurricane’ Celtic manager Ange Postecoglu sussed – Barry Ferguson
Rangers against Celtic is always the game that the whole of Scottish Football looks forward to and the Light Blues have a plan.
That’s according to Barry Ferguson who thinks that Bears manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has got his opposite number at Parkhead, Ange Postecoglu, figured out.
The Hoops were dominant in the Dutchman’s first Old Firm clash in the dugout last season but things have rapidly changed since after careful analysis and reflection.
“Celtic are going to come at them like a hurricane right from the kick-off and if they’re not ready for what’s coming then they run the risk of being blown away before the game has even properly started,” Ferguson said to the Daily Record.
“For me, the key will be the first 10 to 15 minutes because what happens in those early exchanges could very well set the tone for the entire match.
“But no one will know that better than Gio and there were signs towards the end of last season that he might have got Ange Postecoglou sussed.
“Put it this way, the 1-1 draw at their place at the end of the season should have been a Rangers win and that tells me that the manager knows exactly how to combat Celtic’s all-out attacking style.”
Non-negotiable
As is the case every time Gers go toe-to-toe with Celtic, defeat is not an option and especially not in a similar fashion to the 3-0 blitz of last season.
van Bronckhorst has learned an incredible amount since that harrowing day at Parkhead and every ounce of that has been put back into the side already for the better.
It will be a very difficult day for the new recruits on the other side of the city who will have never played in the Old Firm or experienced an atmosphere anything like it and it will be a good litmus test for each and every one of them.
The manager may even be tempted to go with those with the experience of the cauldron from the start to slowly bleed the newbies into the war.
Whoever the 11 players that take to the field on Saturday lunchtime will know that they could write their name in Scottish football folklore and there is no greater game to do it in.
In other Rangers news, PSV have sent an apology to Ibrox after some very unsavoury scenes occurred during the Champions League playoff tie.