Michael Beale has only been in charge of the Rangers for some months, but are there already question marks over his future after another defeat to Celtic? The Hoops weren’t at their best on Saturday by any means. It’s likely that they missed the crisp passes and intensity of Reo Hatate in midfield.
Ange Postecoglou will be hopeful that Hatate will be fit again soon and ready for the Scottish Cup semi-final against the Rangers at the end of the month. After all, the Ibrox players already seem to be confident of their chances on that day despite not getting a single win over Celtic this season till now.
Beale took quite a bit of criticism from the Rangers fans after the League Cup final for not starting Todd Cantwell and Nico Raskin. Unsurprisingly, both started at the weekend but the overall result did not chance.
The league title was pretty much gone before Beale arrived so widening the points gap to twelve on Saturday didn’t really change anything. So again, he cannot be blamed for that.
Will Beale even make it to next season amid Celtic dominance?
Imagine though, going forward in time to that Scottish Cup semi final. How will the Rangers fans react if their side lose their last possible hope of winning silverware this season?
Another year with no trophies could be the last straw for many and put pressure on Beale as manager. There will be many asking if he is the right man to take whatever transfer budget is available in the summer and use it on a squad rebuild?
For Celtic, it would be very disappointing not to reach the Scottish Cup final. But should that happen Postecoglou and his side would likely still have two trophies to celebrate with as they looked ahead to summer planning and squad strengthening for another round of Champions League group stage football. It’s quite a contrast.