After a day of rampant speculation, Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has confirmed Aaron Ramsey won’t be lining up against Celtic tomorrow night.
The Wales international signed for the Ibrox club last night, on January transfer deadline day. In what was a simple enough deadline day for Celtic, our rivals did some surprising last-minute business.
The on-loan Juventus man could’ve been thrown in at the deep-end. With top spot on the line, and 60,000 Celtic fans in attendance, it would’ve been a high-pressure situation for any footballer to walk into. However, the former Arsenal midfielder won’t get to experience that atmosphere, for now at least.
Van Bronckhorst told Sky Sports News: “No, Aaron will not be in the squad. He’s been out for a couple of weeks.
“He’s trained with the squad today and looked really good. But tomorrow comes too soon.”
From a Celtic perspective, there was some very positive team news. Ange Postecoglou said he’s pleased with captain Callum McGregor’s progress ahead of the Glasgow Derby tomorrow night. There’s also hope that Daizen Maeda could make it back in time from his Japan duties to make the squad.
Ramsey or no Ramsey, the stakes are sky-high. For Celtic, it’s a chance to go top of the league for the first time in Ange Postecoglou’s tenure of the club. With no Rangers fans attending, it’ll be an incredibly atmospheric night for the Hoops.
Rangers without Aaron Ramsey for Celtic Park clash
Well then. That’s that solved.
Any chance for a sideshow, when there’s a Celtic v Rangers game. It’s almost as if the occasion itself isn’t big enough; there are always sub-plots and narratives bubbling away.
No doubt, Ramsey was a statement signing from our rivals. As it is, though, he won’t take part tomorrow night. For Celtic, it doesn’t change the job whatsoever.
From Ange Postecoglou’s perspective, it wouldn’t have changed what he’d have done anyway. Whether it’s Ramsey or anyone else, the job would be to negate Rangers’ creative players with high-intensity pressing and maintaining a solid defensive shape.
That’s the goal, always. It’s not about what Rangers offer, it’s about imprinting our own style on the game, and making sure we’re celebrating at the end. The personnel van Bronckhorst picks doesn’t change that a jot.
For the headline writers south of the border, it’ll be a blow, sure. Perhaps there might’ve been a few more viewers tomorrow night were Aaron Ramsey to have started the game. That’ll surely happen in later fixtures as he acclimatises and builds fitness.
For us, though; nothing changes.
Read more: Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou delivers Callum McGregor status ahead of Glasgow derby
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