Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist thinks Celtic captain Callum McGregor has ‘had his card marked’ in the past few Glasgow derbies.
The midfielder skippered the Hoops to a hard-fought Premier Sports Cup final victory over the Gers a few weeks ago and started again at Ibrox yesterday.
It was a difficult day for the Bhoys, though, as they faltered to a harrowing 3-0 defeat.
Their performance was nowhere near the required standard as Ianis Hagi, Robin Propper, and Danilo all netted for the hosts.
Celtic lack of fight, passion, and desire was inherently apparent in their approach to the game: they remained slow, pedestrian, and seemingly passive.
McGregor was nullified in the middle of the park for the second Glasgow derby running. He was man-marked out of the game and didn’t have his desired impact.
McCoist thinks Rangers have been able to annul the usually influential Celtic captain: “The one thing I would say is Callum McGregor’s been really, really quiet,” he said (talkSport via RecordSport).
“Certainly in the last couple of games, he’s had his card marked a little bit. They’ve just put someone right on him and he’s finding it a lot more difficult to get on the ball.”
When McGregor isn’t in form, Celtic tend not to be either. When he’s at his best, he’s arguably the best player in Scotland and undoubtedly makes the Hoops tick.
His lack of impact in the last two games against Rangers, though, should be a major concern for Brendan Rodgers.
The manager hasn’t been able to suss the Ibrox club out in the past few derbies. A solution needs to be found come March 15.
