Barry Ferguson believes the key to Rangers knocking Celtic out of the League Cup quarter-finals this weekend can be summed up in one word: aggression.
Writing in his column, the former Rangers captain said he is not suggesting they should set out to kick their rivals off the pitch or send people five feet up in the air. Instead, he wants a Rangers team that sets out to knock Celtic out of their stride, chasing after them, pressing them and harassing them for every ball.
He wants Rangers to force Celtic onto the back foot from the first minute and make life so chaotic for them that they are struggling to catch a breath. Ferguson said he is sick of watching Celtic sides come to Ibrox and enjoy themselves, adding that this has happened too often over the years and is a big reason why they have been so dominant for so long.
Making Ibrox hostile
Ferguson said that if you are wearing a green and white shirt inside that stadium, you should be made to hate every single second of it. He described it as the kind of uncomfortable ordeal that you do not look forward to experiencing again.
He explained that if Rangers go about their business in this aggressive manner from the off, they will bring 50,000 fans with them and the whole environment will become even more noisy, hostile and intimidating for Martin O'Neill and his side. He said Rangers should not give Celtic time to think, never mind settle or feel their way into the tie.
Ferguson acknowledged that Rangers will need to be organised at the back and disciplined in the centre of the pitch, making sure they do not leave big holes behind them which can be exploited. He noted that Celtic have some very good football players who have the ability to do serious damage, but even very good players do not enjoy it when they are being suffocated and denied the chance to play the game the way they want to.
Learning from St Mirren win
Ferguson watched Rangers against St Mirren on Wednesday night and described it as a bit of a mixed bag. They were excellent for most of the first half but failed to take the chances they created, then began to look a bit nervous after the break when the result was still in the balance. What he enjoyed most was that they still managed to find a way to win, even when they were not playing pretty passes.
He highlighted the winning goal, which came from a long ball from Ivor Pandur, a head flick from Ryan Naderi and a perfect lob from Bojan Miovski. Ferguson said it might not have been a goal for the purists, but the way the players celebrated together showed how much it meant to them.
He said he is a great believer that if you keep pushing and pushing until the end, nine times out of 10 you will get rewarded for those efforts. He added that sometimes winning a game in that manner is more enjoyable than looking great and strolling to a four-goal win.
O'Neill knows what this game is about
Ferguson said Rangers have to take that togetherness and momentum now and show the supporters they really do understand what this fixture means to so many people. He noted that O'Neill might be 74 years old but knows exactly what this game is all about and how it might affect the rest of the campaign.
He said Derek McInnes will know too and will be looking for the kind of aggression he is talking about. Ferguson expects goals because both sides have strong options in the last third.
He agreed with O'Neill's assessment that Celtic may have opened up with six straight league wins but are not motoring yet the way he would like, which is another reason why Rangers have to go for the jugular.
Prediction
Ferguson said Rangers have already been written off by so many people and told repeatedly that they are miles behind this Celtic side, but they have the chance to show them how wrong they are and an opportunity to send Celtic crashing out of the first cup competition of the campaign.
He said he would always feel the trophy is there for the taking if he knocked Celtic out of the mix. He suggested McInnes might send out the same starting XI as he did on Wednesday, or make one change with Minsu Kim coming in for Naderi to add legs and energy to the middle of the pitch.
Regardless of the formation or the personnel, Ferguson said it is aggression that can give Rangers the result they need. He predicted: Rangers 2, Celtic 1.
