Jackie McNamara feels Brendan Rodgers may utilize a shocking Celtic tactical ploy against Rangers. Celtic fans will be preparing for their team’s encounter against Rangers on Sunday, which has major implications for the Scottish Premiership title battle.
Brendan Rodgers has an almost fully fit team to pick from ahead of the match, with news that Luis Palma and Callum McGregor are poised to return to contention providing a significant boost to everybody involved.
It is currently uncertain whether Maik Mawrocki or Odin Thiago Holm will be included in the matchday squad; however, we shall learn more about their injury absences during the Irishman’s news conference later this week.
There won’t be many selection quandaries for Rodgers to deal with on Sunday; nevertheless, Nicolas Kuhn, Hyunjun Yang, and James Forrest have all made cases for starting on the right side.
McGregor’s anticipated return is expected to result in a straight swap between the Scotland international and Tomoki Iwata, which may be harsh on the latter given his previous form.
In any case, the essential element as we approach to Govan is that there is some squad depth, which we haven’t had for much of the season owing to injury concerns.
To win the Scottish Premiership, the Bhoys must create a strategy to defeat their opponents on their own turf.
Jackie McNamara says Brendan Rodgers may use surprise tactic
Tactical flexibility is essential for winning these games, and Celtic will need some sort of backup plan if things don’t go as planned at Ibrox.
Former Celtics player Jackie McNamara believes Rodgers may have a trick up his sleeve: playing direct balls to force access behind the Rangers’ backline, allowing Kyogo Furuhashi and others to dart into free space.
McNamara told Sky Sports: “I think there is spaces there, taking the centre-backs out of position in between the centre-backs and the full-backs, I think that’s an area that Celtic can hurt them.
“Over the top, Kyogo is coming into the space. The last thing you want is the centre-backs away from the left-back area. That’s something I think Brendan will try to implement at the weekend.
“Balls over the top; I know it’s a bit different. (But) They seem to struggle when they’re running back towards their own goal.”
Playing more directly is not a new concept for Celtic in the Glasgow Derby, as evidenced by Furuhashi’s fiercely driven volley past Jack Butland last September, which gave us a 1-0 victory at Ibrox despite a weakened squad.
Of course, the Bhoys have Adam Idah and Hyeongyu Oh as options if we need a target to hit, and the idea of a strike partnership may come into play later on.
Regardless of how Rodgers positions his team strategically, he has various options that could help him secure all three points.
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