Keevins waxes lyrical about Beale, but his season could start to unravel today. Celtic will be waiting to finish the job next Sunday

Hugh Keevins believes the gap between Celtic and the Ibrox side is not as big as people think.

I’ll discuss that in more detail later on, in an article which debunks that theory.

Yes, Celtic surprisingly dropped points yesterday.

Things clearly didn’t gel the way they usually do and credit has to go to Motherwell for their dogged defending, and in particular Liam Kelly’s goalkeeping.

John Beaton deserves a special mention too.

I don’t need to go into it, but you know what I’m referring to.

What happened at Celtic Park yesterday was an anomaly in the current season.

But Celtic’s critics from yesterday need to bear something in mind, and that’s they way Ange and the players reacted to their last blip against St. Mirren.

There will be a reaction.

It just so happens that the Ibrox side are next up.

Lucky for them?

Or unlucky?

I guess we’ll find out next Sunday.

Last year, when we met the Ibrox side in the semi-final, we were coming off the back of a 7-0 win over St. Johnstone.

That instilled a belief that we were well up for the game at Hampden the following Sunday.

Were we perhaps a little complacent last year?

Well, that’s the advantage of what happened yesterday, Ange will not allow the players to become complacent.

He’ll expect a reaction next Sunday.

Meanwhile, today the Ibrox side have a chance to close the gap between us and them to 10 points.

In his article this morning in the Record, Keevins believes that the Ibrox side’s next two games will define their season.

I suppose, liked a stopped clock is twice a day, Keevins is right on this occasion.

However, this paragraph is the one I want to discuss:

The gulf between Rangers and Celtic is, in terms of performances if not points, not as great as some people think it is – another frequently expressed theory that is open to debate. Or else there’s the one about Beale slowly but surely figuring out the way to beat Celtic rival Ange Postecoglou and it only being a matter of time before that happens. All of the above form the basis of the argument for saying Beale will soon have the measure of the team across the road on the other side of the city.

So it’s only a matter of time until Michael Beale figures out how to beat Ange Postecoglu?

Did it ever occur to Hugh that Ange has figured out how to beat Michael Beale, since nobody else in the league can?

And if Hugh had been paying attention to the last Glasgow Derby, he would have noticed that Ange changed his tactics no less than three times during the game.

Meaning that just when Beale thought he could get in touching distance, Ange changed it up again.

Tactically, Ange is the smarter manager here.

His skill as a tactician is ever evolving.

Beale, which was clearly evident in the last Glasgow Derby, is one dimensional.

He believed he could challenge Celtic through set pieces.

So, unlike what Keevins says, if Beale thinks he’s on the cusp of figuring Ange out, Ange won’t stand still, he’ll change his tactics.

That’s what defines a class manager, and it’s what sets Ange Postecoglu apart from Michael Beale.

Beale knows he cannot afford to lose to Aberdeen today.

If he does, it puts him in a weakened position going into next Sunday’s cup semi-final.

But there is a serious chance here that Aberdeen could give them a torrid time.

Barry Robson has done an excellent job since taking the job on an interim basis.

They have won their last 6 league matches and confidence is sky high.

I would expect them to seriously test the Ibrox side’s resolve today.

This is not the Aberdeen that Beale faced at Pittodrie earlier on this season.

The one that completely capitulated in injury time.

They seem to have more resolve about them.

More fight.

Barry Robson will feel that today is an opportunity to show Dave Cormack he’s the right man for the job.

If he wins, it will certainly do his chances of getting the gig full time no harm at all.

So when Keevins says its a season definining game for Beale, it’s equally as defining for Barry Robson.

Which makes it all the more intriguing and a good one for the neutral to watch.

Either way, its setting things up nicely for next weekend.

That’s something we’ll talk plenty about in the run up to Sunday.

In the meantime, let’s just see if Beale’s season unravels further today.

Then we can focus on unravelling it completely next weekend.

Sunday can’t come quick enough!