Scott Brown Explains Rangers’ Surprise Tactic in Celtic’s 3-0 Old Firm Defeat

Scott Brown believes Rangers’ unexpected tactical switch played a major role in Celtic’s 3-0 defeat at Ibrox on Sunday.

The former Celtic captain was working as a pundit for Premier Sports as Derek McInnes’ side produced an impressive display to reach the League Cup semi-finals. Dan Neil scored twice, while Kevin Kelsy also found the net as Rangers comfortably overcame their Old Firm rivals.

Brown was particularly impressed by McInnes’ decision to alter his defensive structure. Rangers switched to a back three, while James Penrice was pushed into midfield to deal with Benjamin Nygren.

The tactical change helped Rangers cope with Celtic’s attacking trio of Camilo Duran, Kasper Hogh and Sebastian Tounekti, with Brown admitting he did not expect McInnes to make such a bold adjustment.

Scott Brown praises Rangers’ tactical switch

Brown said Rangers and McInnes deserved significant credit for the way they approached the derby.

“You have to give Rangers and Del McInnes a lot of credit as nobody seen this coming. Nobody saw Del going to a back three with Penrice going onto Nygren.”

He felt the physical qualities of Rangers’ defenders were particularly important in nullifying Celtic’s front three.

“With the pace and physicality in their back three, I thought they dealt with Celtic’s front three really, really well.”

Brown also refused to write off Duran after one disappointing performance, pointing out how impressive the Celtic attacker has been throughout the campaign.

“Camilo Duran has been fantastic all season so it’s maybe a one off game.”

However, he was far less impressed with Celtic’s overall work rate.

Celtic failed to match Rangers’ intensity

According to Brown, Celtic were second best when it came to competing for loose balls and maintaining the intensity required in an Old Firm match.

He believes those qualities should have been non-negotiable, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the fixture.

“The willingness to win second balls and to sprint and work hard, wasn’t there. That should be a given, but Celtic didn’t do that enough.”

The former Hoops midfielder also highlighted a recurring problem in the contest: Celtic defenders were winning aerial challenges, only for Rangers players to react quicker to the loose ball.

That allowed the home side to repeatedly regain possession and maintain pressure.

Brown challenges Celtic to respond quickly

The defeat leaves Celtic with little time to dwell on their disappointing display.

They face Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday before welcoming Rangers to Parkhead for another Premiership meeting on Sunday.

Brown believes those two fixtures provide Celtic with an immediate opportunity to put the defeat behind them.

“Now they have to pick themselves up to face Ferencvaros on Thursday and then Rangers next Sunday. Those are two huge games for Celtic now.”

He was full of praise for Rangers’ hunger and determination, suggesting the home side simply looked more motivated throughout the afternoon.

“Rangers were on fire and they fought for everything. It looked like they wanted it far more.”

Brown’s assessment is that Celtic must rediscover their intensity immediately, with little margin for error during a crucial week.

“Celtic have been league and now they have to bounce back and have the will to run that extra mile.”