Celtic comfortably won the latest Glasgow Derby, with goals from Daizen Maeda, Kyogo, and Callum McGregor securing a 3-0 victory. On another day, the scoreline could have been even more lopsided, as Brendan Rodgers’ side had further chances to extend their lead.
Rangers manager Philippe Clement, however, didn’t see the match as one-sided, pointing to statistics such as possession and shots on target in the aftermath of the defeat. Yet, not all Rangers players seem to share his assessment.
Vaclav Cerny, who joined Rangers on loan from Wolfsburg this summer, took a more candid view of the match. The Czech international admitted that Celtic had been the better team. Speaking to Football Scotland, he said:
“We didn’t do well at all, they outclassed us in everything.”
“Now we have to catch them at any cost, that’s our main goal.
“I haven’t seen such a rivalry for a long time. Of course, I never played for Sparta Prague or Slavia Prague in their derby.
“But compared with our main derby it is far bigger and more brutal.”
For Rangers fans, Cerny’s admission will sting. While it might be an accurate reflection of how things unfolded at Celtic Park, it’s unusual to hear such frankness from a Rangers player, especially after a defeat to their fiercest rivals.
Celtic’s dominance in the derby has been evident for some time now, with the Hoops having lost just one of their last twelve encounters with Rangers. That solitary defeat came in a match where Celtic had already secured the league title and were missing key players.
Naturally, the 3-0 loss has not gone down well with the Rangers faithful, and questions are being asked of the manager, the squad, and the club’s leadership.
Yet, it’s rare for a player to openly acknowledge that Celtic are simply the superior side, leaving many to wonder what the reaction to Cerny’s comments will be.
As for Celtic, they won’t dwell on the derby result for long. More challenging fixtures lie ahead, with a home game against Hearts coming up after the international break, as they aim to continue their strong start to the season.