Scottish Premiership 2021/22: Celtic’s flamboyant rotations beat Rangers – tactical analysis

The Old Firm derby is always the biggest clash in Scottish football. In this midweek, Celtic took on Rangers at Celtic Park in a potential title decider as the race has been very tight in these months. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side only had a two-point lead before the match and a draw would secure their position at the top. The result might make the difference because Ange Postecoglou’s men looked like a group of hungry wolves who swallowed the opponents within 45 minutes.

This tactical analysis explains how Celtic won the match with the fluid positional tactics of Postecoglou and how they defended better than the opponents with a collective mindset in the pressing.

Lineups

Celtic opted for a 4-3-3 formation as several players were out of the game, including the suspended Nir Bitton, unfit David Turnbull and Kyogo Furuhashi. But their young right-winger, Liel Abada improved greatly compared to September, he was a threat in this game; while Reo Hatate had a great first half and helped his team to kill the game.

Rangers also played in a 4-3-3 formation. The Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo quickly gained a position, starting as the right-winger but his performance was below par. The former academy player of Leicester City, Calvin Bassey, continued to start as a centre-back and paired up with Connor Goldson, but he played as the left-back since van Bronckhorst adjusted his tactics during the break.