Beale must show Rangers can match Postecoglou’s Celtic when it counts

I n Ange Postecoglou, Celtic hired a manager who afforded them a crucial edge. At a time when the playing squad required an overhaul, Postecoglou’s knowledge of the Japanese market meant he could kickstart a Celtic revival with affordable individuals he knew could have a significant impact in Scotland.

The weakness of Scotland’s top flight helped in this sense – Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi would not have the same influence in a stronger league – but Postecoglou knew he was not gambling. On Sunday a League Cup final between the Old Firm at Hampden Park affords the Australian the chance to secure his third major Scottish honour from a possible four.

Postecoglou will relish this opportunity to reassert Celtic’s status as the dominant force. Impressive results under Michael Beale have returned the swagger to a Rangers side who were humiliated in the Champions League and left a distant second in Scotland’s Premiership under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Beale can talk the talk – and plenty of it – but this fixture offers the first test of whether Rangers in their present guise can be a match for Postecoglou’s team when it really counts. Given Celtic’s consistency, doubts remain on that front.

Beale’s assertion that Postecoglou was “lucky” to be afforded a certain level of spending clearly irked the Celtic manager. Strangely enough, Beale does not play the resource card when his own players face St Johnstone or Ross County.

Celtic’s knack for continually trading players at decent profit – even during times of on-field difficulty – allowed Postecoglou to fund his rebuild. Rangers, meanwhile, are keen to bestow further and lucrative contracts on underachievers Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent. James Tavernier, who