Rangers had entered the 2021/22 campaign confident of their chances of defending the Scottish crown, having finished 25 points ahead of Celtic in the Premiership in the previous season. It is safe to say that things did not work out for the Ibrox side as they would have expected, as Ange Postecoglou’s team completed a remarkable rebuild and won the league and the League Cup, despite few expectations and all the odds stacked against them.
Thus, it is now the Rangers, who find themselves chasing Celtic. And things have not gotten to a great start for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.
Celtic have continued to strengthen both on and off the pitch. The club have signed Cameron Carter-Vickers on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur, in a move that could rise up to £10 million with add-ons. They have also added to Postecoglou’s coaching team by bringing in Harry Kewell.
On the other hand, the Rangers have suffered a triple backroom blow since the end of the season. As reported by Football Scotland, the Ibrox side will need to search for a new head physio after Adam Roberts left in order to join Bristol Bears. They have also recently lost club doctor Mark Waller to Leicester City and Andy Scoulding is set to leave his role in the scouting team to join Tottenham Hotspur.
Rangers find themselves in trouble while Celtic continue to strengthen
Thus, it is safe to say that the Rangers do not find themselves in an enviable position right now, with a lot of gaps and areas of need to fill over the summer, before even strengthening.
Of course, those optimistic enough could see this as an opportunity for Van Bronckhorst to arrange the backroom team according to his needs and desires.
It remains to be seen if that turns out to be the case and the Rangers improve next season. But at this point of time, one would rather be in Celtic’s position.