Michael Beale’s overriding feeling on Sunday morning won’t be disappointment at losing Saturday's Old Firm derby.
It will be one of frustration. Because he’ll know that was an opportunity lost for his team against Celtic. That’s the best I’ve seen Rangers play against Ange Postecoglou’s side under Michael, certainly off the ball. They put them under pressure yesterday and had a really disciplined, compact shape. At times defensively, they still dropped a bit too deep. You could see the manager urging them to get up the pitch. They had to be brave and for most of the game, they were.
Michael’s system forced Celtic into errors and trying to play over the top. So there were a lot of positives in that respect. And that discipline was there pretty much for the full 90 minutes. This Celtic team under Ange have usually had it all their own way. Think of the League Cup Final, where Celtic had real control.
Yesterday, Rangers limited that with their shape. Michael’s tactics stifled them. On the ball, they could have been better. On paper, it looked like a team full of good footballers, so I expected a bit more.
But they created chances and big moments. That hasn’t always been the case in this fixture recently. Unfortunately, Rangers didn’t take theirs.
Alfredo Morelos had to score early in the second half but didn’t connect properly with his shot. He then had a header which hit Ryan Jack which looked goal-bound. Todd Cantwell also had a chance that he hit wide.
If any of those had gone in, it could have made a huge difference. At the start of the second half, at 1-1, Rangers were the side in the ascendancy. But they couldn’t capitalise.
And ultimately the game was decided by two really poor mistakes. That’s why Michael will feel so frustrated today.
A lot of the chat before this game was about, could Rangers handle going there? It was supposedly going to be all Celtic. But I think they did handle the environment.
Listen, I can only talk positively to a certain extent when you’ve lost an Old Firm game. But irrespective of the result, the league was still gone.
So I’m trying to look at the bigger picture. And there are definitely positives Rangers can take into the Scottish Cup semi-final in three weeks time. There won’t be 60,000 Celtic fans that day.
And I was hugely encouraged by the performance of someone like Nico Raskin yesterday. I thought he was excellent.
I was also impressed by James Tavernier. That was a captain’s performance. What a moment he delivered when Rangers needed him to step up with the free-kick.
That was top level quality. If that had been a Man City or Liverpool player who’d done that we’d be talking about it for a long time. In that moment, to put it in the postage stamp with such accuracy and beat a keeper of Joe Hart’s ability, was fantastic.
I’m always reluctant to talk this way after losing a game to Celtic. But moving forward, that semi-final is huge and Rangers at least showed yesterday that they can compete.
They went toe-to-toe with Ange’s side in a hostile atmosphere with no fans behind them. They made chances. And let’s be honest, a really soft decision went against them when Kevin Clancy ruled out Morelos’ goal in the first half.
Had the ref not given a free-kick VAR wouldn’t have over-turned it. That was really harsh on Rangers. But you can’t legislate for individual errors at Celtic’s goals.
A lot of Rangers fans - myself included - have been worried about Ben Davies and that left side of the defence. It’s always been a concern because it’s been exposed in previous Old Firm games, whoever has played there.
John Souttar was thrown in yesterday for his first derby and I’ve still to be convinced that he’s the answer as a Rangers centre-back. The pair of them actually did OK in the game yesterday. But you simply can’t make mistakes like they did.
Davies has to be braver for the Kyogo goal - he has to head the ball out for a corner. And John has to be tidier for Jota’s. He can’t be sloppy on the ball like that.
I don’t want to be too harsh on them. But you can’t make errors like that when you’re playing for Rangers in big games.
Souttar is a great passer of the ball but that was just sloppy, a lack of concentration. To do it at 2-1 down after his partner has already made a mistake? It just can’t happen.
Celtic punished them big time. Give credit to Celtic, Kyogo was alive and ruthless then Jota didn’t give it up and showed great ability to score.
But Michael would have been tearing his hair out on the sideline. He’s getting judged on these mistakes. People will be saying he’s now gone three games and can’t get the better of Ange.
But that’s not Michael Beale’s fault. He trusts his players to make good decisions in the right moments. But for those two goals, they didn’t do that.
Connor Goldson was a big loss for Rangers, there’s no doubt about that. He’s not just a leader in the team, he’s a threat in both boxes.
Michael will be praying he gets him back for the semi-final at Hampden. His players gave a lot to that game yesterday and didn’t deserve to lose it.
But they were punished for mistakes. When Celtic made errors, Rangers didn’t do that. That was the big difference.
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