Celtic Fan View: Rodgers outdone by Rangers counterpart

Since Brendan Rodger’s arrival in Scotland, few managers can claim to have outwitted him even once. Graeme Murty, however, has managed to stifle his Hoops side on two occasions. That deserves some recognition. Last March, Murty earned a respectable 1-1 draw at Celtic Park and in his second taste of the derby, he secured another point in his rival’s backyard.

Make no mistake, this wasn’t a fortunate backs-to-the-wall defensive effort at Parkhead. His side imposed themselves on Celtic and should have left Glasgow’s east end with all three points. As for the Bhoys, this was one of the poorest displays under Rodgers, and the Northern Irishman has a lot to answer for.

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Bar a spell for 10 or 15 minutes in the first half – where the Hoops pushed their rivals back and created some clear chances – this was a lacklustre display. It also highlights another concern, that the Bhoys just aren’t stepping up to the expected level in the big clashes. The failure to beat Anderlecht, Hearts, Hibs and now Rangers in the last month, makes that all the more clear.

Rangers haven’t put Celtic under that much pressure in a derby since Rodgers took charge. They were helped by a team selection that was completely wrong. It’s baffling how he left out the in form Olivier Ntcham in favour of Stuart Armstrong, given how inconsistent the latter has been of late. Armstrong had zero influence on the game while Ntcham’s brief cameo actually allowed Celtic to regain some control and look a threat late on.

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Ntcham’s absence meant Celtic lacked presence in the middle of the park, as well as someone who could receive the ball in tighter areas against Rangers’ high press. Added to that, Moussa Dembele started ahead of Leigh Griffiths, despite the Scotsman appearing to show more sharpness of late. Dembele was well marshalled by the Gers back-line, so perhaps Griffiths’ ability to drop deeper and pull into wider areas would have caused the Blues more problems.

Scott Brown was dismal in the centre of the pitch, unable to dominate the game or drive his side forward. The quality of Celtic’s passing was shocking and it was frustrating to see Brown struggle to play penetrative forward passes. Rather, the majority of the skipper’s passes were sideways and backwards, which made it difficult for the Hoops to build any flow. Armstrong and McGregor’s lack of conviction meant they offered little threat in the opposition box.

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Celtic’s midfield struggles gave Rangers the platform to continue to press and suffocate the hosts in the 45. The second period was played in the Celtic half and the visitors really should have put a couple of chances away. It was surprising to see Rodgers not change tact and go to a 4-4-2, and bring Odsonne Edouard on to provide more of a reference up top and allow the Celts to push further up the pitch.

Overall, there was a serious lack of drive, creativity and punch in the performance. Credit has to go to Murty for urging his team to press and prevent Celtic from getting into their groove. It’s not often Rodgers is outsmarted, but this performance will have a few people questioning him.