Celtic’s Old Firm-Winning Tactics: Wide Rotations, Overloads & Transitions – Tactical Analysis

No game is more decisive in British football than the Old Firm.

The Glasgow Derby sees Scotland’s two biggest clubs, Celtic and Rangers, go head-to-head in their constant tug-of-war for domestic domination.

Celtic have clearly been more successful over the past decade.

Since 2012, Rangers have only managed to win Scotland’s top flight on one occasion, with Celtic running away with the league time and time again. 

Celtic’s grip on their continual domestic triumphs doesn’t appear to be weakening.

They scored nine league goals without conceding any in their opening three games.

Rangers, on the other hand, looked to be heading for another season of turmoil.

After drawing their opening game against Hearts, they managed to win their next two matches.

Already falling behind their rivals in the league and failing to qualify for the UEFA Champions League has left Rangers fans utterly disappointed with their start to the season. 

Both teams form was reflected in the game.

Despite Rangers excellent start, Celtic soon began to tear them apart through their rapid counterattacks.

A convincing 3-0 victory puts Celtic firmly in the driving seat, heading towards their fourth consecutive title — though it must be said it is still early days in the season.

In this tactical analysis, we will highlight where Celtic excelled, leading them to their dominating display.

Comparatively, we will provide an analysis of where Rangers failed and what the Gers needed to execute better if they were to have any chance of winning this match. 

Lineups 

Celtic’s starting lineup has seen a variety of personnel used throughout their opening games in Brendan Rodgers’ 4-3-3 system.

One area that has remained unchanged is defence; Premier League winner Kasper Schmeichel continued in nets, while the back four was made up of Canadian right-back Alistair Johnston, a centre-back pairing of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales, and Scotland international Greg Taylor retaining his place at left back.

The midfield three saw club captain Callum McGregor playing as the deepest midfielder, with Paulo Bernardo and Reo Hatate operating as number 8s.

The front three saw two changes from Celtic’s win over St Mirren.

Maeda was reinstated on the left-hand side of the attack, and German Nicolas Kühn continued on the opposite flank.

Starting as a centre-forward was the deadly Kyogo Furuhashi, who, before this game, had scored six in 13 games against Rangers. 

Rangers had several players in their starting lineup who were getting their first taste of the Old Firm.

In front of keeper Jack Butland, captain James Tavernier started at right-back, and John Souttar continued at right centre-back.

The back four was completed with two new summer arrivals in the form of Robin Pröpper at left centre-back and Jefte at left-back.

In possession, Connor Barron played as Rangers deepest midfielder, with Mohamed Diomande and Dujon Sterling playing in more advanced positions.

The front three consisted of Rabbi Matondo, Cyriel Dessers and Václav Černý who had all been in impressive form in the lead up to this match. 

Penetration Down The Flanks 

When you statistically compare the number of crosses both sides delivered, Rangers came out on top.

They delivered 15 crosses with an accuracy of 33%, whereas Celtic only managed 10 with a success percentage of 30%.

However, the story lies in these crosses quality and location. 

This graphic compares the areas from which Celtic delivered their crosses.

More than half of their crosses came from just inside the penalty box, which has been discovered to be where the greatest number of assists from crosses occur.

Rangers played a significant number of crosses, yet a substantial number were from deep areas, with Celtic having double the number of crosses inside the penalty area.