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In the build-up to his first taste of an Old Firm derby, Danny Rohl had spoken of his excitement about the win-or-bust nature of a semi-final clash in the Premier Sports Cup. In his own words, it was ‘all or nothing’.
By the end of a pulsating 90 minutes at Hampden, the new Rangers head coach was left to reflect on the latter of those two outcomes.
Rohl’s team were reduced to ten men after Thelo Aasgaard was sent off towards the end of the first half, by which point Rangers already trailed 1-0 after a disappointing display.
But they fought back and forced the game into extra-time when James Tavernier scored from the penalty spot, only for Celtic to pull clear and secure a place in next month’s final against St Mirren.
In terms of the performance and some of the flashpoints, there was much to digest for the young German in what was only his fourth game since taking charge.
Here, Daily Mail Sport's CALUM CROWE takes a look at some of the main talking points and what it all means for Rohl and Rangers moving forward.
Danny Rohl tries to encourage his side at Hampden in his first taste of the Old Firm derby
Rangers were already a goal down when Aasgaard's lunge on Ralston left them a man down too
Rohl changed his tactics in the second half and watched as his side took the game to Celtic
How did referee Nick Walsh handle the match?
Walsh was correct to show Thelo Aasgaard a red card for what was a clumsy and dangerous lunge on Tony Ralston. Rangers could have no real complaints about that one.
Yeah, Aasgaard technically made contact with the ball first. But his follow through was so high and reckless on Ralston, catching the Celtic defender with his studs, that it was clearly dangerous play.
The other main flashpoint towards the end of the first half centred around Auston Trusty and Jack Butland. Trusty stupidly flicked a boot at Butland as he lay on the deck and kicked the Rangers goalkeeper in the head.
He could easily have been sent off and was extremely fortunate that Walsh only deemed it worthy of a booking.
It was the wrong decision from Walsh, but he was not helped by VAR Steven McLean, who reviewed the incident and backed him up, rather than referring the official to the pitchside monitor for a second look. That was the real failing of it all.
As for the other incidents, Ralston was rightly punished for handball. It wasn’t deliberate, but that doesn’t matter. Intent is irrelevant.
Rangers have since asked the SFA for an explanation as to why Trusty wasn’t sent off. That’s just grandstanding. Even if Willie Collum, the SFA’s head of referees, admits it should have been a red in his monthly VAR briefing, it won’t change the outcome.
Defensive deficiencies continue
One of the main reasons Rohl switched to a back three was to provide greater security in defence, both in and out of possession. By and large, the new shape has worked fairly well. There is a far better structure to the team.
Nasser Djiga had another game to forget in the heart of Rangers' defence
The problem is that Rangers continue to be let down by some of the personnel and individual mistakes. Nasser Djiga was dreadful against Celtic. Especially in the first half, he was an accident waiting to happen. He couldn’t get near Celtic’s front three of Johnny Kenny, Daizen Maeda and Sebastian Tounekti.
Djiga was lucky not to be hooked at half-time. This isn’t a one-off. He’s been consistently poor since joining on loan from Wolves.
There has to come a point when Rangers admit they have made a mistake with him and give Manny Fernandez a chance instead.
Fernandez was signed for £3million from Peterborough in the summer. Fernandez is very raw, but he is physically imposing and decent on the ball. He needs game time if he is to develop defensively.
At the moment, Rangers are just wasting time with Djiga and prioritising a loan player over one whom they actually own.
Chermiti and Miovski are miles off it
In Johnny Kenny and Callum Osmand, two of Celtic’s goals came from strikers who were signed for peanuts. Those modest transfer fees are certainly in stark contrast to the money Rangers have forked out to sign Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski.
Both players cost the club a combined outlay of just over £14million when add-ons are factored in but Rangers are seeing precious little in return for that investment.
Chermiti already has the makings of a spectacularly poor signing. He lacks the natural instincts of a goalscorer and missed two huge gilt-edged chances on Sunday in the first half.
Bojan Miovski came off the bench at Hampden but failed to offer anything of note up front
It was a poor performance, but Miovski was arguably even worse when he came off the bench. He continues to look a shadow of the player who shone so brightly for Aberdeen. He’s a proven goalscorer in Scottish football and Rangers need him to get up to speed as soon as possible.
At this moment in time, they have spent £14m on a couple of new strikers — and both of them are looking like a downgrade on the much-maligned Cyriel Dessers.
Did Rohl get his team selection and tactics right?
Certainly not in the first half. In the opening period, too many of the Rangers players looked like rabbits in the headlights. They were second best in every department.
They did still have chances, most notably through Nico Raskin and Chermiti, but Celtic were the much more dominant team.
Rohl asked Chermiti to drop in and mark Callum McGregor but it didn’t really work. That effectively freed Liam Scales and Auston Trusty to squeeze up and be really aggressive in pressing the likes of Danilo and Thelo Aasgaard.
As a result, Rangers had no real out-ball. They had no pace to threaten Celtic in behind.
Youssef Chermiti got very little change out of Celtic centre-half Auston Trusty at Hampden
The inclusion of Djeidi Gassama would have changed that and he made a positive impact when coming off the bench, albeit he missed a couple of chances as well.
But, despite the defeat, Rohl deserves credit for the way he was able to resign things tactically to give Rangers a shape and structure that still allowed them to be competitive.
They were the better team in the second half and deservedly forced the game into extra time.
Rangers’ poor start to the game will be something for Rohl to learn from, but the young German is already showing himself to be an astute tactician with an ability to make positive changes mid-game.
Whilst the defeat was disappointing, there is still enough to encourage Rangers fans moving forward.
