Neil McCann slams Alfredo Morelos after ‘he failed’ during Rangers League Cup final defeat v Celtic
Neil McCann believes Alfredo Morelos “failed” during the second half of Rangers’ Scottish League Cup final defeat to Celtic on Sunday afternoon.
The Colombian got on the scoresheet in the 64th minute to halve the deficit for the Gers, but ultimately it wasn’t enough to prevent The Hoops from picking up their 21st triumph in the competition.
On a frustrating day for several Rangers’ players, McCann felt the 26-year-old’s influence wained as the game entered its latter stages.
“I don’t think Beale can leave them [Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos] if they’re performing. They are big players for Rangers,” said McCann (BBC Scottish Football Podcast, 57m 32s, 26 February).
“I thought Morelos started the game well today and then he failed to make an impact during the second half.
“I don’t think there were enough players playing with risk to get into the box.”
Still a gap
The 2-1 scoreline on the day probably doesn’t tell the whole story for Michael Beale’s side. Celtic were levels ahead at Hampden Park and probably should’ve won in a more comfortable manner. Yet again a slow start has somewhat cost the Gers.
Beale’s side have a tendency to fall behind in games. This isn’t the end of the world against a bog-standard Scottish Premiership side, but when facing Ange Postecoglou’s men, it will make life extremely tough.
There was always an acceptance that Celtic are further ahead at the moment, and Beale will be looking for his side to learn and develop from the experience.
Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell were both introduced and will now be more acclimatized to facing Celtic in the remaining fixtures in the 2022/23 campaign. Both players have the quality to make an impact against Postecoglou’s men and will hopefully be given the chance from the outset in the second half of the season.
In other Rangers news, the club are in line for a multi-million windfall from the Premier League after a £10m Auchenhowie milestone was reached.