- Published
At the end, every fibre of Derek McInnes' being must have wanted to have one of those Steven Gerrard moments, a scream of delight and relief into a Celtic Park camera lens, a human reaction to a significant victory on hostile terrain.
asserted
fibre → publish → terrain
McInnes, though, showed little emotion.
asserted
McInnes → show → emotion
He shook hands with a now beleaguered Martin O'Neill and pretty much got out of there.
asserted
He → shake → O'Neill
Later, the first words he uttered on radio were about not going "overboard" after back-to-back wins against their city rivals.
asserted
he → utter → rivals
"Just three points." he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
That's true, of course, but it was also the first time a Rangers manager has won his first two games against Celtic since Graeme Souness in 1986.
asserted
manager → win → 1986
Rangers were good, and clearly deserving of the win, but they didn't quite hit the levels of ruthlessness of a week ago at Ibrox.
asserted
they → hit → Ibrox
They can be better and yet they won as comfortably as it's possible to win when the margin at the end is just a single goal.
asserted
margin → win → end
Their superiority would have been better reflected had they won by two.
asserted
they → reflect → two
O'Neill has problems mounting game-by-game
O'Neill said there was "not much between the sides" but nobody was really buying that, Celtic folk chief among them.
asserted
folk → have → them
The Celtic manager has problems and they're mounting game-by-game.
asserted
they → have → game
They have lost the elan they had in a few games in early season.
asserted
they → lose → season
They were out-played, out-muscled and out-coached.
asserted
They → play → ?
O'Neill has time to pause now, time to reassess.
asserted
O'Neill → have → time
Time, perhaps, to question whether he's got the answers to the myriad ills of his team.
asserted
he → question → team
He doesn't have robust players in midfield because his board has not delivered them.
asserted
board → have → them
He doesn't have the kind of wingers the club had when Daizen Maeda, Liel Abada, the still unfit Jota and Nicolas Kuhn were knocking around.
asserted
Maeda → have → wingers
In Yang Hyun-jun's absence - and week on week he appears to be spoken about as an absent world beater - James Forrest is the best winger they have.
asserted
they → appear → beater
So says former captain Scott Brown, who knows Celtic players.
asserted
who → say → players
Neither does O'Neill, at present, have good instincts.
asserted
O'Neill → have → instincts
Starting Sebastian Tounekti at Ibrox last week was an odd call and he changed it at half-time.
asserted
he → start → time
Going with Sam Johnstone in goal at Rangers back-fired.
asserted
Going → go → Rangers
Giving Luke McCowan his first start of the season on Sunday was another curious decision that didn't work.
asserted
that → give → Sunday
The midfielder was off the pace and never came out for the second half.
asserted
midfielder → come → half
O'Neill's famed ability to problem-solve and inspire has deserted him, for now.
asserted
ability → fame → him
When set against the newfound organisation and vigour of this Rangers set-up then Celtic look jaded.
asserted
Celtic → set → up
Their supporters are being cast into a scenario that none of them want to be a part of - wondering aloud, or just quietly, if the icon still has it in him.
asserted
icon → cast → him
He sounds like he does.
asserted
he → sound → ?
If that is the case then he needs more from his assistants - or just better ones.
asserted
he → need → assistants
From board level to coaching and playing, the whole operation looks humdrum and in need of a mighty shake.
asserted
operation → look → shake
It's as if the 5-1 Champions League disintegration against LASK has removed not just confidence but heart and soul.
asserted
disintegration → remove → confidence
There was little gumption at Ibrox in the 3-0 League Cup loss, there was only a brief early reaction against Ferencvaros in the Europa League before another beating, and now there's a third poor loss in a row and a fourth inside a month.
McInnes has really hit upon something
How quickly things turn.
asserted
things → be → something
A few short weeks ago, as Rangers exited Europe to the sound of booing, McInnes didn't hold back when assessing the problems in his team.
asserted
McInnes → exit → team
Not a possession team, not a pressing team, not a counter-attacking team, he said.
asserted
he → press → ?
Callowness has become youthful excellence.
asserted
Callowness → become → ?
For the second straight week the hardest-working and most effective attacking player was Ryan Naderi.
asserted
player → work → week
Dan Neil and Nico Raskin, aged 24 and 25, were once again hugely influential in the middle of the park.
asserted
Neil → age → park
Neil looked fairly ordinary not that long ago.
asserted
Neil → look → ?
Now he's growing fast as Rangers captain.
asserted
he → grow → captain
Celtic had six guys who were older than him in their team.
asserted
who → have → team
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&quality=75)
