Football is decided in moments, and during the first half of yesterday’s Old Firm semi-final, two stood out to tell the day’s story. Moments that, in many ways, captured why Rangers have so often been second best in recent history.
Johnny Kenny rose highest from an inswinging corner to convert at the front post just minutes after Youssef Chermiti was presented with a gilt-edged chance only yards out, one he somehow diverted wide. The control enjoyed by Martin O’Neill’s men in the opening stages reflected Rangers’ failure to seize the initiative and shape the day’s narrative. On a day that screamed opportunity, they once again failed to capitalise.
Eventually, Hampden saw an extra 30 minutes as Danny Rohl’s 10 men rallied after the interval. But Rangers had stacked the odds against themselves by only truly starting to play once Thelo Aasgaard had been sent off and Celtic were already a goal to the good. Fatigue eventually told as Celtic scored twice in extra-time. Rangers were gutsy from half-time onwards but needed to be gutsy from the off.
Kenny’s strike came after Rohl’s side had royally got away with one moments earlier, when Nasser Djiga, one of several who endured a shaky start, kicked the ball off Nico Raskin and into his own net. VAR spared them, but only momentarily, as Chermiti’s miss preceded Kenny’s header.
Neither Chermiti’s early miss nor a later one-on-one chance in the half, which Raskin blasted straight at Kasper Schmeichel, could bring Rangers level. The start was metaphorical, a reflection of deeper issues that have plagued the club long before this summer’s takeover, and haven't been solved since. It was yet another example of Rangers being in a weaker state than a weak Celtic and failing to capitalise on an opportunity to flip the momentum.
Referee decisions played a big part. Celtic ought to have been reduced to 10 men at least once, first when Austin Trusty kicked out at Jack Butland’s head, and later when Tony Ralston conceded a handball penalty while already on a yellow card.
Those moments, however, cannot distract from the broader truth, in a week when Celtic were engulfed in internal turmoil, during a season already filled with chaos, Rangers’ own shortcomings once again let their rivals off the hook.
Let’s not forget, this is a Rangers squad that underwent a £20million net spend investment just months ago. Rohl’s arrival and Martin’s departure shouldn't take away from the fact that only five summer signings started yesterday. This squad has not proven itself nearly ready to perform despite the heavy cost to assemble it.
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Rohl’s side began in the fluid back-three system that had helped turn domestic form around prior to Sunday. Eyebrows were raised when Djeidi Gassama started on the bench and, in a match that constantly swung end-to-end, Rangers looked leggy. Too often, they collapsed into a back five instead of springing forward into a front three. Rohl made several attacking changes in extra time, and the side looked significantly better with ball carriers like Mikey Moore and Gassama running at a vulnerable Celtic defence.
The initial plan, presumably, was to play towards two direct build-up options in Aasgaard and Chermiti, with Tavernier attacking the back post and Meghoma making runs beyond on the left. Those traits combined to create the glaring opening Chermiti sent wide, to be fair. But otherwise, in an open, end-to-end game, Rangers lacked energy until, ironically, the red card forced changes that improved both personnel and mentality. Playing with ten men forced Rohl’s side to attack, and that aggression, in turn, pushed Celtic backwards despite their numerical advantage.
Whether by design or by default, Rangers too often fell into a back five, allowing Celtic to push high up the pitch without fear of pace in behind. O’Neill’s side were able to dictate the tempo, with Callum McGregor given time to orchestrate play, facing Chermiti as Rangers sat deep. A makeshift Celtic defence was allowed to settle into the match when it should have been severely tested. Sitting off has occasionally made sense in the past against stronger Celtic backlines, but not against this version.
Aasgaard’s red card, after planting his studs high on Ralston’s leg while spinning in the air, seemed to sum up his team’s first-half attacking approach, chaotic and unpredictable. Still, Nick Walsh’s decision to show only a yellow to Trusty was a glaring error and Rangers have subsequently contacted the SFA for an explanation.
Individual performances also told the story. Celtic have had their share of expensive transfer mistakes, yet Johnny Kenny, a £200,000 signing from Shamrock Rovers, cost a fraction of Rangers’ misfiring attack, as did Callum Osmand, scorer of the third. John Souttar lost far too many duels against whoever he faced, while Djiga’s nervy first half prevented Tavernier from advancing safely on the right.
Sporting director Kevin Thelwell justified Chermiti’s £8 million fee (potentially rising to £10 million) by suggesting the club could only afford the young Portuguese forward at this stage of his development. That logic rightly went unchallenged when Philippe Clement sanctioned a £1.7 million investment in Hamza Igamane, also framed as a development signing. Yet developing at a club like Rangers is difficult even in the best of times. Fabio Silva was almost driven out of Ibrox, yet now plays for Borussia Dortmund. Amad Diallo, once the best player in the Championship and now a Manchester United starter, saw almost no minutes here.
When you’re the second most expensive signing in the club’s history, it’s fair to expect more from Chermiti, especially when this team needs performers now, not later. Similarly, Manny Fernandez, who cost £3.5 million, has started just twice. How can Rangers afford to invest millions in potential when this squad so clearly needed a new core immediately?
What does this defeat mean for Rohl? He needs only to ask his predecessors how costly a loss in this fixture can be. While blame may not fall squarely on him today, and he has handled a difficult situation admirably, missed opportunities always require redemption. Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale both suffered from early losses to Celtic, and by the time Philippe Clement got it right in the derby, everything else was falling apart.
This defeat won’t erase the positive first impressions Rohl has made because forming a connection with the support, which he has, merits praise and subtle tactical alterations have improved a team that was so weak upon arrival. Rohl must work with the squad he inherited, after all. It is what a win could have done for both clubs that makes the result so damaging.
Of course, this is not a season crafted by the German. In many ways, the club missed its moment this summer and time it took to appoint Rohl during the last international break, even though he was ready to start work right away, saw more valuable points slip away. Mistakes have piled up, from recruitment to managerial appointments, but the biggest remains this: when their rivals have been weak, Rangers have failed to take advantage, both in the league and now in the League Cup.
Brendan Rodgers’ departure briefly made Rangers look like the calmer of Glasgow’s two clubs. But while the focus this morning is again on refereeing calls, and justifiably so, the real missed opportunity is that their loss will take heat off their rivals.
The micro is this game, the macro is the past few years. Rangers will never find sustained success until they learn to seize the initiative and play the protagonist. Otherwise, much like yesterday’s 120 minutes, they will always be reacting.
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