Ange Postecoglou’s ‘We Never Stop’ mantra has been followed by Celtic during his run as the manager of the club, as the Hoops have continued to work hard both on and off the pitch in order to make the team better. And they have reaped the rewards for their attitude as well, having won the Premiership and League Cup double last season, and they are leading the league by a healthy nine points this time around going into the second Glasgow Derby of the campaign.
Celtic have been dominant in the recent Glasgow Derbies as well, with the 4-0 win earlier in the season and the 3-0 win from the previous campaign being particular highlights of Postecoglou’s reign as manager.
We might be just 19 games into the season but the Rangers will know that the title race could be as good as over if they lose at Ibrox this weekend, a result that would send Celtic 12 points clear at the top of the table with 18 games left to play.
And Michael Beale has received some advice from an unlikely source in former Celtic player, Shaun Maloney. As reported by the Daily Record, he told PLZ:
"“I think because it’s Micheal Beale’s first Old Firm game and you mention he’s going to go strong and very aggressive, I think they have to stop Celtic playing.“I think if you allow Celtic to play, I know we’ve seen at Aberdeen, if you allow them to get into your half of the pitch then they will cause you problems. I’m actually really looking forward to seeing how Rangers try and stop that because under [Steven] Gerrard the way that they pressed, I think they will go very similar with Michael Beale and I actually think it’s the best way to press Celtic.“You have to go as high as you can because if you allow them into your own half then the rotations and the players they have, I think they get hurt.”"
Maloney advises Rangers on how to get the better of Celtic in the Glasgow Derby
It is true that the Rangers did enjoy some success in the Glasgow Derby fixtures against Celtic when Gerrard was the manager of the club.
But one thing that one cannot ignore is the fact that this side is very different to the one that was playing under the management of Neil Lennon.
Celtic should be confident of their own chances going into Ibrox, but at the same time, they cannot make the mistake of taking the Rangers lightly, as they have looked better in recent weeks under the management of Beale. It could be a close contest this weekend for sure.