Celtic lacked firepower to beat Rangers admits Brendan Rodgers after lacklustre Old Firm stalemate

Rangers 0 Celtic 0

Rangers manager Russell Martin looks on from the sidelines. Photo: PA Wire

Celtic's Arne Engels (left) and Rangers' Mikey Moore battle for the ball during their Scottish Premiership clash at Ibrox Stadium. Photo: PA Wire

Brendan Rodgers felt Celtic lacked the firepower to get any more than a point from their goalless draw against Rangers at Ibrox.

The Hoops fans turned on the club's board following their embarrassing Champions League play-off defeat to Kazakh side Kairat Almaty on penalties on Tuesday night following two goalless draws, criticising them for not bolstering their squad with appropriate quality before such a crunch tie.

With Swansea-bound Adam Idah missing for the trip to Govan, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, the 24-year-old Belgian winger signed from Royal Antwerp, was handed his Celtic debut, Daizen Maeda led the line and then Shin Yamada came on later in the game.

Rodgers admitted it was a poor game, albeit the Hoops remain six points clear of Rangers after four fixtures going into the international break.

He said: "I thought it was a poor game to be brutally honest.

"The positive for us, we haven't given away much over the course of pre-season and today I don't think we had a shot against us on target.

"So defensively, we've been there. We've been good and solid and lots of endeavour, which is great.

"But in terms of our quality in the game, it's not at the level I'd expect a Celtic team to be.

"So, so that was a disappointment but felt overall the quality of the game wasn't at a high enough level.

"I think it's about profile of player. I think I've been very clear on that.

"Guys are working well and working hard. But sometimes in teams you don't quite have that feeling going into a game that you can score goals, like we were, this period last year.

"The team then goes in with a different energy and a different feeling which then sparks everything off and brings that energy and that real key attitude that you want.

"When you are lacking that, that [no goals] is sometimes what you get."

Rangers boss Russell Martin was under mounting pressure after a 6-0 defeat by Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off on Wednesday night which saw them exit 9-1 aggregate.

The ramifications of defeat against their oldest rivals could have been dire for Martin but his side were worth a point in a dreadful encounter.

In the 32nd minute of a first-half low on quality but high on adrenaline, Gers defender John Souttar had the ball in the net only to be ruled offside.

The second half was much of the same with few clear-cut chances or goalmouth incidents, with even the energy and passion failing to mask the poor fare served up for the lunchtime kick-off, which was bulging with subplots.

There was the strangest atmosphere inside Ibrox where Gers chairman Andrew Cavanagh and representatives of the club’s new US-based owners 49ers Enterprises, including vice-chairman Paraag Marathe, were in the directors’ box and the whole party could not have been impressed.

Former Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski – signed from La Liga side Girona on Saturday – was handed his Rangers debut as club captain James Tavernier returned at right-back, with places for midfielders Mohamed Diomande and Connor Barron and attacker Mikey Moore.

Rangers manager Russell Martin looks on from the sidelines. Photo: PA Wire

As widely expected, fan favourite and arguably Rangers’ best player last season, Nicolas Raskin, was absent amid speculation about his future.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha, the 24-year-old Belgian winger signed from Royal Antwerp, was handed his Celtic debut, while 27-year-old Uruguayan left-back Marcelo Saracchi, who joined this week from Boca Juniors on a season-long loan, was on the bench. Swansea target Adam Idah was missing from the squad.

There was just short of 2,500 Celtic fans inside Ibrox and it was noisy, colourful and nervy.

In the seventh minutes there was a Rangers penalty claim when Miovski and Celtic defender Liam Scales clashed inside the Hoops box but referee Don Robertson was having none of it.

Chants for Raskin rang round the blue-covered sections of the stadium before the half-hour mark as a poor first-half unfolded.

And the cheers that followed Souttar heading in a free-kick from skipper James Tavernier soon ended when VAR confirmed an offside.

There was little improvement at the start of the second half, with Rangers still playing more direct football than previously this season.

In the 53rd minute Gers winger Djeidi Gassama left Parkhead defender Kieran Tierney trailing the right flank but his cross was snuffed out, ending in the hands of Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.

Gers ’keeper Jack Butland made his first real save on the hour mark and it was a comfortable one from Reo Hatate’s long-distance drive before he kept out an overhead kick from Tierney.

In the 65th minute James Forrest and Shin Yamada replaced Arne Engels and Balikwisha, with Tierney off for Sarrachi.

Cyriel Dessers and Oliver Antman came on for Miovski and Moore, then Nedim Bajrami took over from Thelo Aasgaard, as Martin looked to re-energise his flagging side.

But the match ended goalless, with neither side deserving the win.

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