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Alan Hutton: Celtic Are Streets Ahead of Rangers
PRESSURE IS MOUNTING ON CLEMENT
It’s been a very up-and-down start to the season for Rangers. Many experienced players have departed and the funds haven’t been there for the manager to reinvest. The opening-day draw at Hearts wasn’t a surprise since Steven Naismith has got them playing good football. However, it felt like Rangers didn’t hit the levels they’d managed last season at Tynecastle, but I accept that the big shift in personnel doesn’t help.
Missing out on Champions League football is always going to hurt Rangers as a club. I was nervous about facing Dynamo Kyiv in the first leg, but the team grabbed a deserved draw to take back to Glasgow.
It felt strange for the second leg to be played at Hampden Park. The atmosphere didn’t quite feel the same and Jefte’s sending-off did Rangers no favours.
Had they finished with 11 men on the pitch, I’m still not sure they would’ve gone on to win it though.
The reality is that Rangers are a long way from competing with the best of the best in the Champions League. Qualification would’ve helped financially though, allowing more investment in the playing squad.
THE FIRST OLD FIRM IS LIKELY TO GO CELTIC’S WAY
If I’m totally honest, I think Rangers might struggle this year. There, I’ve said it. But the way Celtic are playing at this moment in time, they are streets ahead of Rangers and they’ll struggle to keep pace with them moving forward.
Lifting the League Cup or Scottish Cup is paramount. These must be trophies that they try to win, just to see some success this season.
The remaining days of the transfer window hold the key to Rangers’ success this season. If they’re to have any joy at all, they need to sign three or four experienced players, which feels unlikely to me.
SHANKLAND COULD TAKE THE HEAT OFF DESSERS
If I was Philippe Clement, I’d be doing everything I could to sign Lawrence Shankland from Hearts. He’s proven now to everybody in Scottish football what he’s capable of.
I think he’s the ideal player to lighten the load on Cyriel Dessers. Danilo looked miles off the pace against St Johnstone the other day, which is to be expected having been out injured for so long.
Having someone like Shankland to call upon would definitely help. He’s a goalscorer. That being said, Dessers has had an excellent start to the season, although he still has the potential to blow hot and cold.
EXITS STILL HIGHLY LIKELY OUT OF IBROX
Several players could yet leave Ibrox before the end of the month. Rabbi Matondo’s been linked with a move south to Leeds. He’d be a huge loss, for me. He may not be a starter week in, week out but he’s a great impact sub with his lightning pace. If they lose someone like Matondo, they have to make sure they replace him. He’s a completely different profile to what they already have and can cause tired defences major problems.
As for Todd Cantwell, I’m really disappointed with the way this has panned out. He came to the club with a big reputation but we’ve only seen flashes of what he’s capable of. I don’t like it when players throw their toys out of the pram. Unfortunately for him, nobody seems keen to sign him.
Ryan Jack still has a lot to give any team in Scotland or abroad too, providing he stays fit for the full season, which has always been his question mark. I thought James Tavernier was gone earlier in the summer. Especially given the reported interest from Turkey and Saudi.
I just felt it could be a good move at this stage of his career. He’s dealt with the pressure of being Rangers captain well over the years. It’ll be interesting to see if Rangers let him go in this window. They won’t want to let him run his contract down, so it’s time to sell for good money or offer him a new deal.