Charlie Nicholas stunned by Michael Beale decision during Rangers v Celtic, blasts ‘fat’ Alfredo Morelos
Charlie Nicholas has admitted he was stunned by Michael Beale’s decision not to replace Alfredo Morelos during Rangers v Celtic.
The Colombian striker got the nod ahead of the team’s top scorer and turned in a shocking first half performance, being at fault for the opening goal and missing two glorious chances before half-time.
And Nicholas, writing in his Daily Express column (4 January), claims opponents know Morelos “can’t run” anymore and that Beale has to get rid of him.
“I believe he (Beale) must get rid of Alfredo Morelos,” he wrote.
“While Beale can claim it is his natural shape, the Colombian striker just looked out of shape in the draw. We saw Celtic left-back Greg Taylor lying on the deck before he was taken off appearing to call him something along the lines of ‘fat boy’.
“Fellow pro footballers know he can’t run. He might have had two headed chances from bad defensive play, but he was never a threat with his movement. I couldn’t believe Beale didn’t bring on Antonio Colak.”
Shocker
Morelos had an absolute shocker in the first half and nobody is disputing that, and we hardly doubt that he would either.
But his physicality and relentlessness caused problems for the Celtic back line in the second half and helped us get back into the game, despite not being directly involved in either goal.
But Nicholas is right about one thing, and that’s his weight being a problem. He’s lost pace, and he’s never been the quickest, while his movement looks far less sharp. It’s an issue.
Colak will be chomping at the bit to get back in the side under the new manager and show that he can continue to find the net as he did regularly under Giovanni van Bronckhorst earlier this season.
Where Morelos leaving used to be a nightmare scenario for Rangers, with Colak at the club now it may not be the worst thing in the world and with his contract up in a matter of months it could happen sooner rather than later.
In other Rangers news, BBC pundit blasts “ridiculous” decision as footage emerges from Rangers v Celtic