Celtic pulled off a thrilling 4-2 win over Dundee United, thanks to late goals from Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada. The result means that the Hoops are now seven points ahead of the Rangers in the Premiership table. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side do have a game in hand and that will come away against St Johnstone. Thus, there is a possibility that they could slip further in the title race.
One has to feel that the pressure has been building up around Ibrox in recent times, as they have struggled for both form and results. There has been audible booing from their fans in several of their recent games.
Thus, if the upcoming results don’t go their way, it is very possible that the Rangers might have no choice but to show Van Bronckhorst the exit door, especially with the World Cup break coming up.
As reported by Football Insider, when questioned if the World Cup break would be the ideal time to move Van Bronckhorst on and bring in a new manager, Noel Whelan said:
"“I think it will depend on how he finishes before this break.“If he finishes strongly, he’ll get that bit more time.“But they’ve got to be good wins. You want to see Rangers dominating these games, not just scraping by with a narrow win. You’re talking about 3 or 4-0’s – showing the quality they have.“If they stick with him, they’ve got to give him money. If they’re not, they need to make a decision quickly so the person coming in has that money to spend.”"
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It is safe to say that the Rangers are not in the position that they would have hoped to be at this point of the season.
On the other hand, while some of Celtic’s recent performances have raised some eyebrows as well, one cannot argue with the spirit of Ange Postecoglou’s side as they continuously dig out wins, even when things are not going their way, as champions are supposed to.
Thus, the upcoming three games could be vital for the future of Van Bronckhorst at Ibrox. The long World Cup break would be the ideal time to make a change in the hot seat, if the Rangers feel the need to. At the same time, Celtic cannot rest on their laurels either. Things can change very quickly in football.