Maurice Ross says Rangers need to cut the supply to Callum McGregor to stand any chance of beating Celtic in next week's Scottish Cup semi-final.
Speaking to NewSlotsKosh, the former Ibrox defender broke down the tactics ahead of the Hampden showdown that will see Michael Beale and Ange Postecoglou go head to head once again. He reckons Rangers were better at Celtic Park than in previous derbies under Beale and believes that was down to increased pressure on McGregor, who played notably fewer passes.
He said: "Callum McGregor is the heartbeat. If he plays, Celtic play. Rangers managed to limit supply at Celtic Park on April 8 as he made 41 passes compared to 76 in the Viaplay Cup Final. If they could do it even better at Hampden, then it could be massive for them. The front two are key.
“If Malik Tillman presses the square pass between Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter Vickers, then Alfredo Morelos doesn’t need to dovetail back into Callum McGregor – which is Celtic’s out-ball – as one of the midfielders can push up on the Celtic skipper.
“This will force Starfelt of Carter-Vickers to hit the ball wide or back and that’s ideal because, if Rangers go man-for-man as they did successfully in last season’s semi, then Joe Hart will have to kick long looking for Jota, Kyogo or Daizen Maeda.
“This will proactively disrupt Celtic’s style and rhythm and give Rangers the best chance of success. Of course, they have to defend their box better – something they didn’t do in the Viaplay final – because Celtic will flood that middle area."
Ross reckons Nicolas Raskin will have a big say in how next week's clash goes. And he also thinks the Ibrox side need to take a lesson from Celtic's books and go direct to force Ange Postecoglou's team into mistakes.
“And when Rangers have the ball, Nico Raskin is the key. He has every club in the bag when it comes to passing. He is as important to Rangers as McGregor is to Celtic. Celtic always have eight bodies on the ball side of the pitch, so if Rangers can switch the play quicker, then they will find wide open space on the other side.
“The main difference between Celtic and Rangers is Celtic penetrate at every opportunity. They will make forward runs from wide and central areas if the man on the ball has no pressure. Rangers must do the same. Does Starfelt fancy facing his own goal and playing passes to Joe Hart? I’m not so sure. Make them defend, match runs, get them dragged wide and be forced to defend one v one.”
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