'A big learning' - Danny Rohl addresses Rangers limitation claim as he plays down two VAR decisions in Celtic defeat
Rangers boss gives his assessment of a 3-1 Old Firm defeat to Celtic at Parkhead
Danny Rohl expressed “big disappointment” after Rangers’ hugely underwhelming season was consigned to the history books with two games remaining after a 3-1 Old Firm derby loss to Celtic at Parkhead.
The Ibrox club ventured across the city in the knowledge that a victory was required to remain in the hunt for a runners-up finish, which comes with a place in the champions League qualifiers next season.
They started brightly and were the team in the ascendency after Mikey Moore fired home from close range inside the opening ten minutes from a tight angle, but Celtic equalised through Yang Hyun-jun after 23 minutes before Daizen Maeda proved the game’s difference-maker.
The Japanese international’s first telling involvement was to turn home Kieran Tierney’s cross to put Celtic in front for the first time before a sensational acrobatic effort flew beyond the stranded Jack Butland into the top left-hand corner to consign Rangers to a third straight defeat.
And a dejected Rohl told Sky Sports: “Big disappointment, I think when you lose 3-1. I think the story is again and again the same. In the key moments, we were not sharp enough to defend. I think in our box, two similar situations. The third one was a great goal. It reminded me a little bit of our goal when Youssef scored. But all in all, to take something, you have to play all the time with this consequence.
“I think in general, maybe you agree, maybe not, it was a game of real comparison. A challenge from both sides. We tried something, played very aggressively. But in these small moments, you have to be there to take something. We couldn't, and this is what we have to change in the future, to take and win such games.”
Asked if that comes down to individual responsibility or as a collective, Rohl responded: “I think both. In some moments we have enough players around to defend this, in some moments we lose our men. We are not ready, we are not in the right position. And then it's tough to come back. We knew you have to suffer in some moments, you have to come through. But this is my job, this is my responsibility, and this is what we have to improve as a group.”
Rohl reacts to two key incidents after ‘big learning curve’
The Light Blues boss became the club’s first manager since Dick Advocaat in 200 to lose three Old Firm games in a row. With their season now officially over and a third-placed finish is guaranteed, Rohl was quizzed on whether his squad’s limitations have been exposed after failing to build on momentum that briefly saw them hit the Premiership summit earlier in the season.
“Yeah, I can agree,” he stated. “I think we showed, even today, you look to the 90 minutes, I will not make it better because we lost, this is always tough. But I think when you take the game, then you see it's still good things. But good is not enough for us as a club. We want to be the best, we want to win titles, and from this point, it's at the moment, things that we have to take. A big learning for a new season, and this is what we have to do.”
Pressed on two key incidents, including Celtic’s equalising goal and Alistair Johnston’s wild challenge on Mikey Moore, Rohl commented: “In general I never look for excuses. But from what I heard, maybe there is an offside, maybe there is a red card, but maybe there is a decision-making on the pitch. I'm not the type of manager to attack refs in public.”
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