European football raged on last week without Celtic and saw the Old Firm, the last remaining Scottish club involved, play in the quarter final first leg of the Europa League in Portugal, losing 1-0 to Braga.
Marquee January signing Aaron Ramsey, who scored the opening goal in the Glasgow Derby at Ibrox on Sunday for the Old Firm – a match that Celtic went on to win with goals from Tom Rogic and Cameron Carter-Vickers – was left as an unused substitute prompting Chris Sutton, the former Celtic striker, now a BT Pundit to make this observation.
Not the worst result for Rangers but they didn’t do enough in the final third. Aaron Ramsey left on the bench. Surely these are the games he was signed by Rangers for?
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) April 7, 2022
After giving everything that had on Sunday in what was a must win game for the current Scottish Champions, the Old Firm side looked tired against Braga on a ground where they recorded a decent win last season. Braga hit the inside of the post with one effort and had another goal ruled out by VAR so the Old Firm manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst will know that the result could have been much worse and that this Europa League quarter final is far from over.
The young and inexperienced Portuguese side will never have played in a game with such a loud and hostile atmosphere as awaits them next Thursday as van Bronckhorst’s Old Firm side will go all out to overturn the narrow 1-0 advantage that Braga will bring to Ibrox.
“We’re only halfway. We always want a good result to take back to the second game,” the Old Firm manager said on Thursday night. “That’s what we wanted but you know a 1-0 defeat is quite a small margin. We’re only halfway so next week we have a big game. We know what’s ahead of us and we will prepare well.
“Next week we play at home with the crowd behind us. We have to win by the margin of two and we reach the semis. We know what the task is ahead of us. It’s going to be a very hostile atmosphere, which could be overwhelming.”
Whether the Old Firm have enough in the tank to get through to the Europa League semi-finals remains to be seen and other than improving the European co-efficient for Scotland, it has little to do with Celtic.
However, surrounding that Europa League second page match are two crucial domestic matches for the Old Firm the first at lunchtime today when the Old Firm make the short journey down the M8 motorway to Paisley to face a St Mirren side who are in need of win themselves under new manager Steven Robinson.
Last season, while under the guidance of the now Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin, St Mirren knocked the Old Firm out of the League Cup on their home ground, so the Old Firm support will be well aware that this is a difficult ground to win on.
As as the match kicks off today at The SMiSA Stadium in Paisley – and what was wrong with calling their new stadium Love Street Stadium? – the Old Firm will know how Celtic got on playing St Johnstone at Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon and will know that not only did Ange Postecoglou side pick up the three points to stretch the lead at the top of the table to nine points but they also blew out the water any hopes of the Old Firm catching up on the goal difference front at Celtic stretched that advantage to 23 goals over second place Old Firn FC.
Ange Postecoglou side, without the stresses of European action this week, had a few days rest followed by plenty of time to prepare for the current Scottish Cup holders – it was St Johnstone who knocked the Old Firm out of that cup competition last season before going on to lift he trophy, to add to their league cup triumph – and the 7-0 win for Celtic stretched the lad at the top of the league looking down on the Old Firm to NINE points ahead of the Old Firm’s game in Paisley.
There were media reports on Friday morning that Giovanni van Bronckhorst is planning on rested tired Old Firm legs today with the Europa League second leg on Thursday night in mind. That is a risky strategy as far as the Old Firm’s Scottish Premiership ambitions are concerned, but makes perfect sense when solely considering the magnitude of the game against Braga four days later.
And of course after that Europa League quarter final tie is concluded van Bronckhorst has only two days to prepare his already tired Old Firm players for the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic at Hampden a week today. In contrast Ange Postecoglou will have seven days to prepare the Celtic squad for the Easter Sunday trip to the National Stadium.
Tired legs could play a significant role in the way the Old Firm’s season unfolds over the next week. Having now lost their last two games the Old Firm find themselves nine points behind Celtic in the race for the Scottish Premiership Title, and could beout of the Europa League and out of the Scottish Cup with the Old Firm energy tanks being emptied by their recent intense run of matches.
Maybe Celtic losing to Norwegian side Bodo Glimt was a blessing in disguise as Ange Postecoglou’s side eye a domestic treble in the Australian’s first season in charge? The League Cup was won in December, Sunday’s win at Ibrox against the Old Firm creates an already formidable lead in the league that was stretched even further yesterday with the impressive 7-0 in over St Johnstone and the Scottish Cup semi-final starts with advantage Celtic given the hugely challenging match that the Old Firm have on Thursday night against Braga.
Mon the Saints, go shock the tired Old Firm today…
