Former Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson has doubled down on his statement, insisting that Gers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst has Ange Postecoglou’ sussed’ out.
Going into last Saturday’s Glasgow Derby game, there was plenty of discussion about who would come out on top in the first fixture between the two sides of the season.
Postecoglou’s squad came into the game at Celtic Park full of confidence after making a brilliant start to the 2022/23 campaign.
However, many pundits were still somehow doubtful of the Hoops’ chances of coming away with three points to continue their 100% start to the season.
One of those pundits was ex-Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson.
Despite knowing the threats that Celtic were going to pose, the former Scotland internationalist believed that his old side had a good chance of coming out on top due to Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst having ‘sussed’ out the workings of Ange Postecoglou.
It is fair to say that certainly wasn’t the case, with the Hoops blowing the Dutchman’s side away in an emphatic 4-0 victory.
However, that still hasn’t changed Ferguson’s mindset on van Bronckhorst’s ability to go up against the Celtic manager.
Ferguson continued to insist that his old teammate has Postecoglou sussed out. But, his only downfall was his players not following his plans.
He said [Daily Record]: “There’s no point trying to sugarcoat it.
“Celtic fans have been giving me a roasting ever since Saturday lunchtime all because I wrote last week Giovanni van Bronckhorst has got Ange Postecoglou sussed. They seem to think I would have been hurting when the Aussie wiped the floor with my old team with a 4-0 win. And they’d be absolutely spot on. Hurting? You better believe it.
“It was so bad I had to watch it twice and, yes, and I don’t mind admitting I’m still feeling the pain right now. But if I’m feeling sorry for myself, then I can only imagine how Gio has dealt with the past 24 hours or so. He looked totally shell-shocked by what he witnessed, and I can’t say I blame him.
“Look, I stand by what I said in the build-up to the match. Gio knew exactly how Celtic were going to go about their business on Saturday. And he knew how to set up his team to play against it.
“But what is the manager supposed to do when his players take it in turns to switch off at key moments? Once was bad enough. But three times in the space of the first 45 minutes?
“That’s completely unacceptable, and it’s why Rangers ended up on the wrong end of a really sore defeat. Look, credit where it is due. Celtic are on a different level right now in terms of their energy levels and attacking play. They came at Rangers from all angles, and they thoroughly deserved the victory because they were by far the better side on the day.
“In fact, I’d go as far to say that they are now clear, red hot favourites to win the title this season because no one else can live with them at this moment in time. And that’s also painful for me to admit.”
Ferguson’s statement was shown to be false by Postecoglou and Celtic on Saturday.
Ferguson may think that van Bronckhorst has Ange sussed out, but Saturday’s game just goes to showcase why that certainly isn’t the case.
The 57-year-old’s Celtic side were excellent in the 4-0 Glasgow Derby victory and gave our rivals no chance right from the off.
On two occasions in 2022, we have seen Rangers blown away within the first 45 minutes at Celtic Park, and the ex-Socceroos’ boss is yet to lose against van Bronckhorst in league action.
If Ferguson truly believes that the former Dutch internationalist has Ange Postecoglou’s number, there is clearly a problem with the coaching at Ibrox.
In any case, I am sure the Celtic boss will not be worrying about the other side of Glasgow until our next match-up in January, having led the Hoops to a healthy advantage at this early stage in the season.
In other news, Celtic star sends brilliant squad message ahead of huge Champions League match-up.
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