Rangers manager Derek McInnes is calling for his team to adopt a dual approach of controlled aggression and clinical finishing as they prepare to face fierce rivals Celtic in a crucial Premier Sports Cup encounter. While acknowledging his side’s recent run of four consecutive league victories, McInnes has highlighted a recurring concern: a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

Finding the Cutting Edge

Despite securing narrow wins in their recent league fixtures, often by a single-goal margin, McInnes has expressed unease about the team’s offensive output. The team has scored only five goals in six league games, with one being an own goal. This starkly contrasts with their five-goal haul against St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup, an anomaly McInnes believes cannot be relied upon.

Compounding the issue are the absences and limited availability of key striking options. Lawrence Shankland, who has scored three league goals, recently underwent hamstring surgery. Thelo Aasgaard, who scored on the opening night, is now on loan, and Youssef Chermiti is sidelined with a serious knee injury. This leaves McInnes with a limited pool of strikers: Ryan Naderi and Bojan Miovski, each with one league goal, and Kevin Kelsy, who is yet to score.

McInnes noted the team’s 18 efforts, with seven on target, against St Mirren, but stressed that the ultimate statistic – the scoreline – is what matters. “One goal was enough last night,” he reflected. “One goal was enough against Motherwell, two goals were enough against Falkirk and one goal was enough against Aberdeen. But it might not be against Celtic. So, we’ve got to recognise this and be ruthless and more instinctive with some of our attacking players.”

Nurturing Young Talent and Sharpening Decisions

The manager emphasized that the responsibility for improved attacking play extends beyond the forwards. He pointed to the youthfulness of his forward line, which includes players like Ryan Naderi (22), Kevin Kelsy (22), Minsu Kim (20), Findlay Curtis (20), and Badredine Bouanani (21). McInnes believes these young players need to refine their decision-making in the final third, particularly the “last pass, that last decision, that last shot.”

“We’re very young at the forward line when you look at us,” McInnes stated. “So, we’ve got a lot of young players up there. I do think sometimes that last pass, that last decision, that last shot is something we need to take care of a wee bit more. I think we’re arriving there time and time again, which has been a huge improvement in the last few games. We’re showing our ability to create chances, our ability to cause teams problems. But what we need to show is our ability to finish off good opportunities.”

Embracing the Old Firm Intensity

Facing Celtic in an Old Firm derby, especially for a young squad, presents a unique challenge. McInnes acknowledged that the frantic and unforgiving nature of such matches is a trial by fire for his developing players. While he can prepare them by discussing the game and showing clips, he believes they must ultimately experience it to thrive.

“You can maybe speak about it in anticipation of the game and you can maybe show them clips of games and everything that unfolds with it,” McInnes said. “But I think sometimes these boys have just got to live it and enjoy it and thrive on it. I think for any young player these are the types of games you want to play in and test yourself against.”

Drawing on his own experience playing in Old Firm games during the 1990s, McInnes highlighted the importance of “personality, confidence even before you go on the pitch.” He recalled that successful encounters against Celtic required a specific demeanor and self-assurance. “Whenever I’ve managed teams and you’ve come up against Celtic and you’ve won games against them, I’ve always felt it was key that you went onto the pitch in a certain manner and you behaved in a certain manner and you carried yourself properly.”

The ‘Fire and Ice’ Approach

McInnes advocates for a blend of controlled aggression and composure, a “fire and ice” approach, against Celtic. He stressed the need for his players to exhibit intent, competitiveness, and aggression while remaining disciplined and avoiding emotional overreactions. “There can’t be any hesitation, any doubt for my players. Obviously, discipline is important. You make sure you’re competitive and aggressive and show your intent but play within the laws and make sure you don’t get caught up in the fixture as well.”

He warned that the fast-paced nature of the fixture leaves little time for hesitation. “It’s easier said than done and normally in this fixture, when you think you’ve got time to play, you normally don’t and you’ve got to move the ball quickly and be ready for Celtic’s press, the intensity. There’s a lot of duels to be won, there’s a lot of individual battles to be won. A bit of fire and ice at the right times can help matters.”

While acknowledging the need to be aware of Celtic’s key players, McInnes cautioned against becoming overly fixated on them. “I think you’ve got to recognise some individual players in Celtic and you’ve got to try and negate those opportunities for them to have a big influence,” he stated. “Good players will always find some sort of influence, but it’s trying to make sure they don’t have as big an influence as they would like. But also, for us, I think it’s important that we take a lot of the good from recent performances, but we’ve got to capitalise on that.”

Building Momentum Towards Hampden

The dramatic late victory against St Mirren, McInnes admitted, was a crucial moment that lifted the team’s spirits, contrasting sharply with the despondency following a previous loss to Jablonec. He observed a renewed sense of camaraderie and determination within the squad. “Yeah, lots of cuddles going on weren’t there? I see a bunch of boys who are just desperate to do well. They’re really good around each other. The dressing room in the last couple of weeks feels like a dressing room that I recognise and I want my team to be.”

Securing a win against Celtic would not only be a significant boost but could also serve as a catalyst for the team’s season. “I do think for a lot of new signings having a significant win against your biggest rivals in a cup tie can only do them good going forward,” McInnes said. “I think the feel-good factor and the benefit you can get from that could be massive.”

With the Premier Sports Cup semi-final just 90 minutes away at Ibrox, McInnes sees a clear path to silverware. “It’s a tough cup tie, but equally the fact that we’ve got it at Ibrox, we’re 90 minutes away from Hampden, we’re three games away from lifting silverware. You’ve got to beat the good teams to win a trophy ordinarily and we’ve got a tough game, there’s no two ways about it. But, equally, we’ve got to make it tough for Celtic as well. I think they’ll expect a tough match and that’s what we intend to give them.”