Brendan Rodgers accused Rangers of nicking the Celtic game plan the last time the Glasgow pair collided.
Maybe this time the Hoops gaffer will be tempted to steal Stephen Robinson’s Light Blues playbook. The St Mirren boss has had the Ibrox side’s number in recent clashes while Celts have found it a little bit tougher than usual in the last few encounters. And it might prompt Rodgers into throwing a few curveballs when the old chums pop across the city on Sunday.
The Irishman shouldn’t suffer too many sleepless nights over it, mind you. The derby is about as low stakes as it gets for Celtic this weekend. With a 16 point lead, Rodgers could hold a raffle for fans to win a place on his line up and it won’t matter a jot about the final destination of the Premiership title.
That doesn’t mean he won’t want to win. And comfortably. Anyone who thinks differently hasn’t been paying attention across his two spells in charge. Rodgers is steeped in this derby and there’s a reason he has the best record in the future of any Old Firm manager.
There’s nothing he enjoys more than getting one over Rangers and doing it in dome style. He’s been utterly ruthless against the rivals and would take great delight in dish out another dull one this time. Rodgers was fairly philosophical after his side got stuffed at Ibrox at Christmas but it was clear he was stung, even if his side has produced a rare off day on the back of several players being struck down with the lurgy.
There will be a bit of added edge to him and his side for this one on the back of it. And the Hoops manager does have some options to play with as well. It would be fairly straightforward for him to send out his obvious strongest starting XI and let them get on with it.
No one can say it’s not a tactic that’s not worked previously. But there is also an option to mix things up, especially with Rangers getting more joy in these clashes of late. Gers notched three goals in the League Cup Final and at Ibrox and it seems they can roll out their European gameplan in this fixture.
They’ve pressed the Celtic midfield in certain areas, forced turnovers and then hit on the break.
It’s a tactic that’s shaken Celts out of their comfort zone a tad. Listen, if the champions-elect find their groove early on, then it might not matter what Rangers do. They can stick to their tried and tested possession, passing game and they’ll carve out chances.
But there is an option to go down the Robbo route. Contrary to what some believed, the Buddies gaffer didn’t sit deep and launch it in the back to back wins over the Light Blues. Yes, they kept a strong shape and were direct at times. But they were the ones who squeezed in certain areas and then targeted longer passes down the middle.
That could be an option for Rodgers. He could go with Adam Idah down the centre and allow Daizen Maeda to remain out wide, where he’s caused James Tavernier so many problems the Gers skipper will need decades of therapy. That would be a controversial call for some, given Maeda has been outstanding as a number nine since the turn of the year.
He’s the form player in the country and it helps when there’s Jota to slot in on the flank as well.
It might come down to who will be in the Rangers defence. If John Souttar and Leon Balogun come through the Fenerbahce game and can deal with this encounter just a couple of days later on the back of injury spells, it will be hugely tempting to let Maeda loose through the middle and use his pace to test their legs.
If it’s Robin Propper back at centre half, it might be smart to target the Dutchman’s weakness in the air – and that means Idah. The Irish striker gets a raw deal from some fans at times but he’s notched 14 goals from 18 starts this term. He has scored at Ibrox and against Rangers in the last minute of the Scottish Cup Final, as well as three times in the Champions League.
Sure, he can be streaky, and his link up play could do with some work, but he’s a big lump of a lad who knows how to finish. The rest of the Celtic side looks pretty set. There might be a decision to make at left back between Jeffrey Schlupp and Greg Taylor, but it’s a toss of a coin job.
The way Schlupp kept tabs on Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise in Germany might get him the nod to look after Vaclav Cerny.
But Taylor knows the drill in this clash and has often been a key man. The fact he could be heading out the club in the next few months won’t matter a jot as he’s never given anything less than his full lot.
Rodgers will demand that from all his squad. The title is already in the bag and there’s no way anyone is going to nick it off them at this stage. But that doesn’t mean the Hoops boss won’t be as determined as ever to make sure Rangers don’t steal any bragging rights on their own Parkhead patch this weekend.