Rangers haven’t lost an Old Firm derby since 2019, the league cup final that saw us dominate for 90 minutes only to be undone by inept officiating and lacklustre finishing.
There is a reason for this, Steven Gerrard learned the hard way that being passive in derbies is counter productive and invariably ends in failure, so, by adopting a more aggressive approach, the tide was finally turned in our favour.
It’s a difficult balancing act for this Old Firm though, this time last year every Rangers fan would have been confident in our defence keeping out whatever they threw at us but, for whatever reason, it just hasn’t looked as solid in recent weeks and being too gun-ho could play into their hands of having a fast, high intensity attack.
Their biggest weakness could play into our hands though which makes it a fascinating match up. Struggling to deal with simple long balls over the top could see Connor Goldson having a field day hitting diagonals to – hopefully – Ryan Kent, and their inability to defend crosses with any real conviction should have Borna Barisic and James Tavernier licking their lips at the prospect of supplying Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe with the ammunition needed to cause carnage.
“8 times out of the last 10, the winner of the first derby game of the season has gone on to win the title. First blood is apparently significant.”@hobbes_ff puts the importance of Old Firm openers into historical context + looks back at 5 of the besthttps://t.co/RZrRPU5x5p
— The Rangers Review (@RangersReview55) August 27, 2021
Neither side is infallible, whoever is able restrict the vulnerability of their soft spots to a minimum is likely to emerge as victors, whoever leaves theirs most exposed could be punished.
Winning the first Old Firm isn’t everything, especially so early in the season, however, the statistics suggest that it does go a long way in deciding the outcome of the title race – as always though, the three points is all that matters, however we get there is irrelevant.