Gerrard makes delusional Morelos claim ahead of Celtic clash

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has made a delusional claim about Alfredo Morelos heading into Sunday’s derby against Celtic.

Celtic currently enjoy a 5 point lead over their Glasgow rivals in the Premiership table. But having played one game more, the Hoops cannot afford to lose against Steven Gerrard’s men or they could see Rangers go top of the table if they manage to win their spare.

The title race in Scotland is very tight this season and it is hard not to feel that the fate of the Premiership will be decided in these derbies, with both Celtic and Rangers being head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.

A loss at Celtic Park could prove catastrophic for Rangers after having lost both of the previous derbies this season. A third loss would see them fall 8 points behind the reigning Scottish champions and it is hard to see Neil Lennon’s men let that sort of a lead slip considering how dominant they have been this season.

But if Rangers are to come out on top at Parkhead, they have to place their hopes on the shoulders of Alfredo Morelos. The problem is, the Colombian has been absolutely terrible against Celtic over the years. And every time he plays against the Hoops, he looks like a striker doomed for failure. His performance in the League Cup final earlier this season is just further proof of that.

Steven Gerrard though believes that his star will come good against Neil Lennon’s side on Sunday. As reported by STV News, the Rangers boss said:

"“I thought Alfredo’s all-round performance in the cup final was really good, he created a number of chances out of nothing. He’s just got to go and do exactly the same thing but try and take the big moments. If he does, it’ll give us a better chance of winning.“He is someone who is in love with playing football. He doesn’t like missing one minute of training, doesn’t like being a sub, doesn’t like coming off.  He motivates himself. I have no doubt he’ll be hoping he’s in the starting 11 and ready to face this challenge at the weekend.“In terms of where’s he’s at, he’s as good as can be. I think his behaviour is massively improved.”"

A similar promise has been made a dozen times now without ever being fulfilled. And it might be time for Rangers to admit that Morelos is a choker when he comes up against Celtic. Gerrard can hope all he wants but it is hard to even imagine the Colombian scoring at Parkhead at this point of time.