Chris Sutton has recalled being thrown a terrifying Celtic curveball by Martin O'Neill at Ibrox, but insists the venue is no place for experiments ahead of this weekend's Premier Sports Cup clash.
Sutton revealed he was told on the morning of a Rangers match that he was playing centre-half, admitting he was "bricking it" — but it turned out well as Celtic won 1-0 and he was named man of the match, with Michael Mols and Shota Arveladze kept quiet.
O'Neill's selection dilemmas
O'Neill has not changed much in the 20-odd years since, Sutton says, and could throw more curveballs this weekend. He believes Sam Johnstone has played himself into the team with an assured display, despite sympathy for Viljami Sinisalo. The back four and midfield are set, he adds, with the big questions in the forward areas — who plays up front and who plays out left.
Sutton can see O'Neill leaving record signing Kasper Hogh on the bench with Camilo Duran getting the nod. He likes Hogh but says Duran's form has made him undroppable and he gets the best out of him through the middle. He understands why some have suggested Duran move to the left wing, but says it would not work as he has not played a minute out there for Celtic and it would upset the balance of the team.
Wide left options
Sutton applies the same argument to Haissem Hassan, who has impressed him. The Egyptian is going to do well when fully up to speed, Sutton says, though his final ball could do with refining. He has yet to see a full-back who can handle him, but if Hassan was in the frame to start wide left at Ibrox then he would surely have been given time there at St Johnstone the other night.
For all he has his critics, Sutton believes Sebastian Tounekti will get the shout on that flank. James Forrest is available and looked good from the bench — but that is a better role for him, Sutton says, as he can come on and make an impact. Similarly, Hogh and Shim Mheuka, who has also looked sharp, are dangerous options to call on if needed.
Rangers test
Sutton calls it a fascinating contest. Derek McInnes has started to win over Rangers fans, who lapped up him clapping along to the sing-song after they scraped past St Mirren — a performance Sutton calls "nonsense and just playing to the galleries." It will be a different story if they come a cropper at home to Celtic with no away fans in the ground.
McInnes is a top manager who walked into a difficult position, Sutton says. There is still a sense he is throwing everything at it to see what works, but Rangers can cause Celtic problems — mainly because Sutton is still not convinced about Celtic's midfield, which has struggled to control games and been unconvincing without the ball, with teams allowed far too many attempts on goal.
Good sides will punish them, Sutton warns, though he cannot say for sure whether Rangers are a good team yet. They have steadied the ship and no-one coming in with the right money for Nico Raskin has worked out well. But there are a lot of new faces at Ibrox and this is a major test of ability and character.
VAR concerns
Sutton hopes there is no more VAR controversy after the events of the last week, which included two flashpoints involving Celtic in Paisley, another bizarre one at St Johnstone, and St Mirren not being awarded a penalty at Ibrox. The Mheuka offside against St Mirren and the Hassan one ruled out in Perth caused confusion as both times VAR fell short in confirming factual calls and they ended up subjective.
In Paisley the referee overturned the on-field call to rule it offside, while at McDiarmid Park they stuck with the assistant's flag despite no conclusive evidence the ball went out of play. Sutton says the only person who thought it was out was the linesman, who must have been the only one to clock the incredible gust of wind that put the ball on a trajectory to take it out and then blow it back into play.
Scottish football's cheaper version of VAR is going to lead to grey areas, Sutton says, so the human element has to be stronger. The man in the middle has to take charge, and if there is a big call that cannot be sorted out by the cameras, the referee has to go to the monitor and make the decision. He wants Sunday to be down to moments of quality on the pitch rather than guesswork at the side of it.
Sutton's prediction: Rangers 2 Celtic 3.
