The best thing about this debate is it’s not really about one magic formation. It’s about an attitude: start on the front foot, press with purpose, and make Celtic play a game they don’t enjoy. Whether that’s a 4-3-3 or a 5-3-2, the idea is the same. Win the dirty moments, then explode into the space.
The 4-3-3: press high and run the channels
In the 4-3-3 idea, you’ve got Butland behind a back four of Sterling, Souttar, Fernández and Meghoma, with Barron and Raskin as the engine room. Aasgaard plays the key role higher up, and then it’s Moore, Chermiti and Gassama as the front three.
The appeal is obvious. Moore and Gassama can jump onto Celtic’s centre-backs, with Chermiti pinning and making it awkward to play through. If the press is coordinated, it’s not just effort for the sake of it. It forces rushed passes, poor clearances and second balls in areas Rangers can actually punish.
And that midfield balance matters. Barron and Raskin are there to hoover up scraps and keep the tempo aggressive, while Aasgaard’s job is to sit right on McGregor and make his afternoon uncomfortable. Stop Celtic playing through the middle and they start looking for easier options.
The 5-3-2: wing-backs and control without the ball
The alternative is the 5-3-2: Butland, then Tav with Sterling, Souttar and Fernandez across the three, plus Meghoma on the other side. In front, Barron, Raskin and Aasgaard. Up top, Gassama off Chermiti.
This one is built to suffocate. You’ve got the extra centre-back to deal with direct play, and you’re asking the wing-backs to attack the space behind Celtic’s full-backs all game. It’s not complicated, it’s just relentless. When the ball turns over, there’s immediate running power into the channels, and that’s when the “pace plus physicality” combo up front becomes a problem.
It also encourages Celtic to go wide and cross more, and if you’ve got a back five set, you’re backing yourself to defend that better than defending constant little slips through the middle.
The real key: tempo, second balls, and the crowd
Truth is, whichever shape you pick, it only works if Rangers start fast and keep the press on. Give Celtic time to settle and you’re chasing shadows. But if you win the second balls, make it physical, and keep turning them, you can feel a stadium get edgy. That’s when simple things become big things: a set-play, a turnover, one moment of panic.
No guarantees in these games, obviously. But there’s a clear plan here: press them, bully them, run at them. Do that, and there’s every reason to believe Rangers can go there and come out with the points.
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