As the dust settles on an abject Rangers showing in the 2023 League Cup Final against Celtic, a statistic from the 2019 Old Firm contest is damning.
The Ibrox performances in both matches were in substantial contrast, with Rangers desperately unlucky to be beaten by an offside goal four years ago but outplayed and outfought at Hampden over the weekend.
But quite remarkably, this Rangers team have failed to learn their lesson of the last few years as the club’s determination to hold on to this squad of bottlers costs them big.
Rangers had seven of the same starters from the game in 2019 as in 2023. Celtic, in club captain Callum McGregor, only had one.
What’s more, Rangers could’ve theoretically started with another two players from the 2019 Final if they were fit. in quite damning evidence that the club has not improved the squad enough in recent seasons.
Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, Glen Kamara, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos all started in 2019 and in 2023.
Had Filip Helander and Scott Arfield been fit, then perhaps they would’ve been in contention for a berth too.
This insistence of holding onto an aging and increasingly incapable squad cost the club in a 2-1 defeat.
Rangers team come up short in League Cup Final v Celtic
For a team which has consistently come up short domestically for Rangers it is quite remarkable that the hierarchy of the club have shown a determination to hold on to them for so long.
Most of these names have been hanging around like a bad small for too long and have either shown themselves ungrateful for the opportunity at Ibrox or incapable of living up to the expectations.
Contrast this with Celtic, who have wheeled and dealed so many of their players from that day out of the club and have a completely new team and squad now stretching a gap between themselves and Rangers.
This moment, in the shadow of an abysmal Hampden performance which has Rangers fans rethinking their stance on Michael Beale, has to be a turning point.
We’ve seen enough evidence by this point.
The next time Rangers walk out at Hampden in a League Cup Final v Celtic, which could be next season, if the team is once again a mirror image then realistically, we can expect the same result.
Here’s why inexperience cost Michael Beale at Hampden.
