Giovanni van Bronckhorst is a man who seems to be walking the managerial tightrope right now, after the Rangers’ 2-1 defeat against St Johnstone saw them fall seven points behind Celtic in the Premiership table. It is safe to say that that is not the position the Ibrox club would have been hoping to be in with just two games left to be played before the World Cup break.
Naturally, question marks are there over the future of Van Bronckhorst at the club, with many of the Rangers fans believing that it is time to let him go.
It must be pointed out that in the past, the Rangers have seen Steven Gerrard’s side fall 13 points behind Celtic without showing him the exit door. Van Bronckhorst is certainly feeling the pressure now though, as it looks like the club’s own fans are no longer backing the manager and there has been booing at Ibrox in recent games.
While speaking to Sky Sports and as reported by The Scottish Sun, when asked if he feels that the pressure was piling on, the Rangers boss said:
"“I mean, it’s already there the last couple of weeks.“A defeat doesn’t help. But, we have to continue.“It’s a tough one to take the loss we had today.“We are very disappointed with the result. We need to look forward, but it’s always difficult to take losses.“Especially when you are the manager or a player at a big club. You are expected to win and if you don’t you’re very disappointed.”"
Celtic fans will be delighted by Van Bronckhorst’s post-match comments after another Rangers defeat
It would be safe to assume that Van Bronckhorst is starting to feel the pressure now and pretty much admitted to it as well.
While Van Bronckhorst staying or leaving does not make a difference to Celtic, the situation seems to be shaky at Ibrox and it is very possible that they could potentially drop further points before the World Cup break.
Celtic cannot afford to rest on their laurels though and things can change very quickly in football. They have to maintain focus on their task at hand and continue piling up the wins. Their own form has been questionable but the incredible mentality of this team has meant that they have been able to grind out wins even on days when all hope seemed lost. That is the sign of champions.