Michael Beale will become the “lucky man” in Glasgow if his Rangers team manages to beat Celtic and lift the League Cup.
Sitting in the Celtic camp, I do expect Celtic to win the cup final this weekend. I think Beale has made Rangers better but there is still a gap. Celtic’s squad is much stronger than Rangers. That is an absolute fact.
Beale is trying to play catch-up. He is not going to win the title. He will know that but will never admit it until it is done. It would still be an amazing capture for Beale to lift the trophy after just coming through the door. Beale is quite an inventive coach and I am sure he will come up with a little tweak here or there.
Celtic are Celtic again under Ange Postecoglou. He doesn’t change his system, he might change one or two players but that is it. He will basically go into the game and say to Michael Beale 'if you have tactics or a formation that you think can stop my team then good luck.'
It is up to Rangers to bring that challenge on. I don’t think it is up to Beale. He has shown he is up for the fight but are his players?
Is Ryan Kent going to turn up? Are my defenders going to be good enough? Will my goalkeeper put on a big performance? Will my full-backs push far enough up the pitch to keep Celtic occupied?
There is something about Beale. He has something and I do think he will spring a surprise in his approach. I don’t think he will open up and go head-to-head but he will make a game of it. I do expect Celtic to win it but I can see the game going to extra-time and Celtic winning 3-2.
We’ve already seen Beale’s comments about Ange. Beale is not saying he is lucky because his teams have been lucky.
He has basically said he has been lucky because Celtic have bowed to Ange to allow him the power to bring players in. Ange came in and called the shots and he has been lucky in that respect. He has been given total control of the football club.
That is what I think Beale was referring to. I don’t think he was insinuating that Ange is a lucky manager in terms of results. I would suspect he actually admires the Celtic’s manager’s style of play.
I think Beale has played him a backhanded compliment with his comments.
Sutton and Beale debacle
I have watched with interest the reaction to Michael Beale’s war of words with Chris Sutton.
I think the Rangers manager has every right to defend himself and have a go back. If he thinks the comments have been negative then he should come out and defend himself.
I have said before that Sutton is the Donald Trump of punditry. He has nipped away and nipped away at Beale.
There is no way Sutton would have had a go at Neil Lennon or Martin O’Neill, his two great loves, that way.
Beale was doing a positive thing against Partick Thistle and it shouldn’t be spun into a negative thing.
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