Rangers Urged to Prove Mentality After Celtic Draw

Estimated reading time: 2 min

John Souttar urges Rangers fans to judge the team's mentality at season's end after a 2-2 draw with Celtic leaves them six points behind Hearts.

Rangers’ Mentality Under Scrutiny After Old Firm Draw

Rangers centre-half John Souttar has acknowledged that supporters are justified in questioning the team’s mentality following their recent 2-2 draw with Celtic. Rangers had established a two-goal lead through Youssef Chermiti’s goals in a dominant first half, but allowed Celtic to level the match with goals from Kieran Tierney and Reo Hatate after the interval.

This result marks Rangers’ fourth draw in their last six games at a crucial stage of the season. The club now trails Heart of Midlothian by six points and could drop to third place if Celtic defeat Aberdeen on Wednesday. Souttar emphasised the importance of consistency in the remaining fixtures, stating, “We need to be judged at the end of the season because there’s nine games left and, if I was a fan looking just now, I’d be asking the same questions, it’s natural.”

Recent performances have raised concerns among the fanbase, particularly after dropped points against Motherwell and a draw with bottom side Livingston. Souttar highlighted the need for Rangers to maintain their high-intensity play throughout entire matches, not just in spells. He said, “We’ve got to keep that going for the full game and, yes, there’ll be periods where we can’t do that the full game.”

Key takeaways

  • Rangers drew 2-2 with Celtic after leading by two goals
  • The club has drawn four of their last six matches
  • Rangers are six points behind Hearts in the league
  • John Souttar calls for judgement at season’s end
  • Consistency and mentality remain in question

The context

With nine games left in the league campaign, Rangers’ ambitions are under threat due to a series of draws at a crucial juncture. The team must hope for dropped points from Hearts while aiming for a flawless run-in to keep their title hopes alive. The upcoming Scottish Cup quarter-final against Celtic offers another test for Souttar and his teammates.

As scrutiny increases, Rangers are challenged to replicate their best football for full matches and demonstrate the mentality required to finish the season strongly.

Sources