Glasgow Rangers closed the gap between themselves and their rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership table to 13 points with a 3-2 win on Sunday.
The Light Blues secured all three points in a dramatic afternoon in Glasgow to ensure that they did not go 19 points behind Celtic, even if another league title for their local rivals feels inevitable still.
Goals from Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande gave the Ibrox giants a commanding lead at the break, in front of the away fans at Parkhead, but it all came crumbling down at the start of the second half.
Daizen Maeda pulled one back just after the break before Reo Hatate eventually found an equaliser to make it 2-2, slotting past Jack Butland with relative ease.
Up step Hamza Igamane, though, to win all three points for Barry Ferguson’s team with a thunderous volley past Kasper Schmeichel in the 88th minute.
Whilst the Morocco international stole the headlines with his sensational winning goal at Parkhead, it was central midfielder Raskin who deserves most of the praise for the club’s performance.
Nicolas Raskin's performance against Celtic
The Belgium international started at the base of the midfield for the Light Blues, with Diomande and Connor Barron alongside him in the middle of the park, and he bossed the first-half.
It was his terrific header from James Tavernier’s corner that opened the scoring for the Gers after just four minutes, as he got the run on Jeffrey Schlupp to glance his effort into the far bottom corner.
Raskin, then, played a vital role in the second goal for Rangers by making a well-timed run into the box to flick on a cross that teed up Diomande to slot the ball into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
The Belgian dynamo, therefore, was the key figure behind the 2-0 lead at the break thanks to his direct involvement in both of the goals from a midfield position.
Minutes played
90
Ground duels won
7/12
Aerial duels won
3/4
Clearances
3
Tackles won
4
Interceptions
1
As you can see in the table above, though, Raskin’s play out of possession was just as important for the Gers, as he constantly closed down and pressed the Celtic players to ensure that they could not dictate the flow of the game.
Performance in Numbers
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It was a stunning all-round performance from the 24-year-old central midfielder at Parkhead, and one that proved that he is undroppable for the Light Blues.
Why Nicolas Raskin is undroppable
The former Standard Liege star has started 22 of his 26 appearances in the Premiership so far this season, and should start whenever he is available to do so.
Raskin’s qualities in and out of possession make him such a vital part of Ferguson’s side, as they did when Philippe Clement was in charge, as he has the ability to break up play and offer a physical presence in midfield, whilst still having the technical skills to control a match.
Of all current Rangers players, the Belgian star is averaging the most tackles and interceptions (3.8) combined per match in the Premiership this season. This suggests that he is the best player in the squad at winning challenges to prevent opposition teams from creating chances.
Raskin has also created six ‘big chances’ and registered five assists in the top-flight to date. Only Tavernier (seven) has recorded more assists than the midfield star, which shows that he is also an influential player on the ball for the Scottish giants.
He is not the only Rangers star who should be deemed undroppable by Ferguson after his showing against Celtic, however, as central defender Dujon Sterling put in a noteworthy performance.
Why Dujon Sterling should be undroppable
Ferguson has lined Rangers up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in the last three matches, in both legs against Fenerbahce and against the Hoops, and that has opened up an opportunity for the English defender to stake a claim for his position in the team.
The Light Blues signed Sterling from Chelsea in the summer of 2023, under Michael Beale, and he has yet to nail down a main role in the side to date.
Right midfield
12
Defensive midfield
9
Left-back
8
Right-back
6
Centre-back
6
Right winger
1
Left midfield
1
Central midfield
1
As you can see in the table above, the versatile defender has been utilised in a multitude of positions by previous Rangers managers, but Ferguson may have stumbled upon the best role for him.
Sterling played the right-sided centre-back role in the back three of the manager’s 3-4-2-1 system, which is essentially a combination of playing right-back, centre-back, and right midfield at times – hence why it suited him so well.
The 25-year-old star provided a dominant presence out of possession in that set-up, as he won 83% (5/6) of his defensive duels throughout the match.
Sterling ended the match without being dribbled past a single time by a Celtic player, whilst the former Chelsea man also made three tackles, one interception, one block, and three clearances.
The Rangers defender also had the best defensive moment of the match, for either side, when he unbelievably flicked a goal-bound effort from Maeda up and over the bar. He readjusted his body brilliantly to turn and make a last-ditch intervention to stop the Celtic man from scoring.
With this fantastic performance in mind, and how the right-sided centre-back position seems perfectly suited to his versatility, Sterling should now be undroppable in Ferguson’s new system moving forward for the rest of the season.
The right-footed titan must, now, ensure that he can continue to deliver quality performances in that position to ensure that he finally finds a regular home on the pitch at Ibrox.
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