It’s bizarre to say it, but Danny Rohl’s secret weapon at Ibrox is hardly secret at all. It is in fact Youssef Chermiti v Celtic.
Indeed, one man is Rohl’s ‘cheat code’ method for winning big matches or at least laying down markers in them, and finds ways to defy his own form.
Yes, Youssef Chermiti, or Youssef Messi as we often call him, rarely shows up for bread and butter football matches with Rangers.
Indeed his touch is clumsy, he misses open goals, and he fails to be a danger, turning more into an ineffective 10.
The change
But put him in the shirt in the big domestic matches, and somehow he finds a level he never even used to have.
Rangers manager Danny Rohl in a Scottish Cup press conference.
He’s been Rohl’s cheat code at Parkhead, against Hearts, and almost against Celtic again last week.
No one can quite fathom how and why he raises his game this way in the big-time matches, only to flub lines badly against Livingston, but he does.
And that’s why he’s a dead cert to start again in Govan.
Messi
Rohl needs Youssef Messi, not Chermiti again. He needs the one who finds that completely new level to score goals in big matches.
Because aside Chermiti, few of Rangers’ players seem to be delivering in those big matches. Mikey Moore can be bright but he doesn’t do enough real damage. He did score the third at Parkhead, but that’s been about it for the big encounters.
And no one else really seems to hurt Celtic or deliver big displays in the epic encounters.
Chermiti does, at least domestically.
Selection
And that’s why Rohl will start with him at Ibrox, hoping that Messi version of him manifests itself.
The one downside now is that Celtic will pay real attention to him. He’s done it three major times in recent months, he will now be a danger man that Martin O’Neill will have a plan for.
Previously he was a ‘joke’ figure who was just fluking it. Having done it three times lately, it’s no longer a joke.
But end of the day, Rohl will need that Chermiti to do his damage, because he’s about the only Rangers player who seems able to hurt that lot.
Rangers, in the last two fixtures v Celtic have scored 5 goals. But four of them came from Youssef Chermiti v Celtic.
He is absolutely vital. If he doesn’t score, the chances of Rangers getting to the semis is a lot less.
