Summary Rangers' defeat against Celtic has put manager Michael Beale's future in jeopardy, as criticism of his performance grows. The team's lack of quality and cutting edge in the match was evident, leading to concerns about their ability to even compete for the title. Rangers now face a crucial period during the international break to make a decision on Beale's future, with supporters divided on whether he should be relieved of his duties.
Rangers were beaten 1-0 at home to Celtic on Sunday afternoon and it has led to an interesting claim emerging over the future of manager Michael Beale, courtesy of journalist Jonny McFarlane.
What went wrong for Rangers against Celtic?
The Gers faced a huge Scottish Premiership clash at Ibrox on Sunday, as they hosted their bitter rivals, going into the match one point behind them after three matches. A win would be a much-needed boost for Beale, following their demoralising 5-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League last Wednesday, but it was clear that a loss would also be a damaging early blow in the SPL title race.
Rangers felt aggrieved when Kemar Roofe's goal was eventually disallowed by VAR in the first half, due to a foul in the lead-up to him finding the net, and from that point on, things only got worse. Kyogo Furuhashi fired home impressively just before half-time to give Celtic the lead, silencing the home fans, and despite pushing hard for an equaliser, Beale's men couldn't find one in the end.
It means that the Gers are now four points adrift of their adversaries, and while it is still clearly early days in the new season, it is already a deficit that is not going to be easy to claw back.
The result has further heaped the pressure on Beale, who appears to be on thin ice currently, not least because of the grim way his side exited the Champions League last week.
Is Michael Beale's job under threat?
Taking to Twitter after the defeat to Celtic, McFarlane was critical of the job Beale is doing, claiming he now has "major problems" as he looks to keep his job:
"Michael Beale has major problems. Hard to see the identity. A performance littered with mistakes. Toothless in the top end of the pitch and prone to errors at the back isn’t a great combination."
There is no question that Beale now has to be under huge pressure to stay in the Ibrox hot seat, following a terrible few days for him, both in Europe and domestically.
For too much of the game against Celtic, there was a lack of quality and genuine guile on show, with good chances few and far between, having only three shots on target. Granted, the Hoops' defence was opened up on occasions, but it always felt as though the visitors had more cutting edge in the final third, and they could easily have scored a second goal as the minutes ticked by after the break.
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With the international break now arriving, those high up at Rangers now have a key period in which to make a big decision over Beale's future, with some supporters certainly keen on the idea of him being relieved of his duties, despite only taking charge last November.
There isn't enough patience in the modern game, so sacking Beale could still feel knee-jerk, despite the losses to PSV and Celtic, but if he is retained, performances and results have to improve drastically as soon as Rangers return to action, starting away to St Johnstone on September 16th.
