Rangers midfielder Dan Neil praised the Ibrox crowd and a relentless tactical shift after Derek McInnes secured a 3-0 Premier Sports Cup quarter-final victory over Celtic.
Neil scored his first career brace and Kevin Kelsy added his maiden goal to eliminate Martin O’Neill’s side on Sunday. Rather than relying on deep defensive blocks, the hosts implemented a high-intensity man-to-man pressing scheme that forced rapid transitions and eliminated attacking threats.
Speaking to rangers.co.uk, Neil highlighted the aggression that exposed Celtic’s tactical flaws. “In previous games, we’ve had to surrender the ball, but today we were on the front foot a lot more,” the 24-year-old said. “There was a lot more man-to-man. The intensity and composure in transition- I thought we hurt them really well.”
Home Support Drives Intensity
With away allocations banned following a ticketing dispute, a stadium packed entirely with home supporters created a suffocating environment. The vice-captain believes the atmosphere drove the squad to maintain their aggressive shape, delivering an outstanding midfield performance throughout the contest.
Neil told Inside Ibrox: “You could see the intensity of the lads, feeding off the fans and atmosphere, and running around at the end trying to find another goal while keeping a clean sheet when the game was pretty much done.”
He added that a solid defensive foundation remains crucial moving forward. “A massive asset any team can have is keeping them out at your end. We’ve shown that over the last few games, and we need to keep building on our attacking play,” Neil said.
Rangers will test this tactical blueprint again when they face Celtic in the Premiership on Sunday 20 September.
