Gerrard linked strike target demolishes Celtic as Rangers legend laughs it up
10/02/2024 05:00 AM
Pride comes before a fall. Football had a habit of bringing those who think that they have the game cracked crashing back down to earth.
Self confidence is one thing, arrogance is another, and Celtic's impressive start to the season came to an abrupt halt against a Borussia Dortmund team who are weaker than when Rangers went toe to toe and won 4-2 in front of the Yellow Wall.
Brendan Rodgers thought that the same tactics that worked against managerless and relegation contenders St Johnstone at the weekend would work in the Champions League but he came unstuck in spectacular fashion with a player who could so easily have been lining up for Rangers at the heart of the hammering.
Serhou Guirassy shows Rangers what they're missing
Serhou Guirassy was being eyed as a potential replacement for Alfredo Morelos as the Colombian attracted big money interest.
Steven Gerrard missed out with a £15m fee being to rich for Rangers taste, even if El Bufalo went for his £20m valuation.
With two goals against Celtic in a 7-1 demolition, Guirassy is a man in form.
It's also the latest example of there being nothing wrong with Rangers scouting, just their ability to finance deals or persuade players to move to the SPFL.
Rodgers, despite his fourth defeat by six goals or more in four Champions League campaigns, is refusing to back down and won't be showing the sort of pragmatism that saw Rangers reach a major European final with a team who cost a little more than their £11m summer signing:
“We could have been better with the ball but going down 3-1 and 4-1 early seemed to spook us a little bit and we didn't play with the same confidence and they were playing at a high level.
"The guys shows great spirit in the second half and we had more possession of the ball and took greater risk but ultimately we were beaten by a much better team. We will assess it and look back afterwards. We wanted to press the game but we wanted to be balanced and be tight and compact but too many times when we ran out of position top players punished us. We'll look at that for the coming games.
"The big defeats have come against Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG… we always have to adapt but sometimes the quality breaks through that. Are we going to sit in and camp and wait? No, we won't do that. We play a way that allows us to dominate domestically. We know it will be difficult to do that at times but we still have to show our ability with the ball and we were nowhere near that level."
Kris Boyd laughs it up but Rangers should be warned
It would be easy for Rangers fans to feel smug given the results against Dortmund two seasons ago.
With games against Lyon, Man Utd, Spurs and Nice still to come in the Europa League, it's maybe wise not to go over the top just yet.
Those teams are packed with quality and games can easily go downhill very quickly if mistakes are made.
Not that Kris Boyd could resist the chance to run it in on social media.
The Sky Sports pundit puts his head above the parapet, dishes it out on a regular basis but also takes his fair share of stick too.
Now that he has retired from playing, the former Gers striker makes no attempt to hide his allegiances.
Let's hope, like Rodgers, he doesn't have the smile wiped off his face when Rangers face Lyon on Thursday night.
