Scottish Premiership 2024/2025: Rangers Striker Play In Old Firm Win Vs Celtic – Tactical Analysis

Rangers left Celtic Park with a 3-2 victory on Sunday despite ending the game with just 28% of the ball possession.

This result was undoubtedly a feather in the cap of interim Rangers boss Barry Ferguson, who took over from ex-Gers manager Philippe Clement in late February.

Both sides had good moments and bad moments, both in and out of possession during Sunday’s game; it was far from a tactical masterclass on behalf of either side in this legendary rivalry.

However, the interplay and partnership between Rangers’ centre-forward pairing—initially Cyriel Dessers (left) and Václav Černý (right) before the latter was replaced by the game-winning striker Hamza Igamane in the final minutes of the game—proved vital to the victory for the blue half of Glasgow.

Our tactical analysis looks to highlight how Ferguson utilised his centre-forwards to such great effect in Sunday’s game and how those players influenced the match so heavily.

We’ll focus on how Rangers’ centre-forwards combined, moved and worked together to create against Celtic despite their team having such little ball possession over the 90 minutes.

Rangers’ Forwards Dropping In Between The Lines To Influence Play Vs Celtic

Firstly, let’s look at how Rangers’ forwards would drop in between the lines versus Celtic to impact the game.

Both Dessers and Černý performed this role at different times during the game, as indicated by the pair’s touch maps above.

However, Desserts was a bit more active in this regard, with Černý staying higher a little more often.