SINCE the start of 2022, very little has happened that suggested Rangers will win the league.

Even putting aside the collective records of both teams, at the vital moments, the bounces have fallen in Celtic’s favour; when Rangers lost dropped points, Celtic found a late goal.

As recently as this week, Rangers confirmed Alfredo Morelos was injured, so Celtic announced Kyogo Furuhashi was fit.

In this calendar year, the momentum hasn’t once sat with Rangers.

That was compounded in the penultimate league Old Firm of the season. In some ways, a defeat was a relief to avoid scraping a draw which would have felt like an extension of a battle for the league title that this Rangers team is currently incapable of winning.

Rangers attitude at the start of Sunday’s game was spot on. The high pressing, hustling and quick pace had Celtic rattled. It had shades of Celtic in the previous Old Firm game at Parkhead. The crucial difference being that this time, Ange Postecoglu's men equalised at the crucial time and managed to take control of the game. Rangers looked bereft of ideas about how to take control again and never did.

The notion of winning the league disappeared but that was simply the culmination of an atrocious run of results. You have to journey back months rather than weeks to find Rangers’ last satisfying league performance and it is no surprise that the league title is no longer a realistic target.

READ MORE: If Rangers fail to avoid Celtic whitewash we have to face uncomfortable Giovanni van Bronckhorst truth - Four Lads

Since Steven Gerrard arrived and assembled a functional Rangers team for the first team in years, that core of players has been unable to cope with pressure.

The one title Gerrard delivered was under a set of circumstances that are extraordinarily unique. An imploding Celtic side never put an iota of pressure on and when the Rangers did stutter, they could rely on the lead already built up.

Every time Rangers have been required to fight and battle through pressure in previous years, it has ended in failure. Out of the last four seasons, three of them have been a close contest at the turn of the year and Rangers have crumbled on all three occasions.

Despite improved squad quality and expenditure, Rangers have still faltered in an eerily similar fashion to other years. As an example, you could slot the Ross County collapse into any other season and the manner of it would have looked in line with the fragile mentality of other campaigns.

The complete opposite can be seen in the Europa League where the pressure and expectations are lowered. The quality of players comes to the surface and Rangers flourish. That has also been consistent throughout previous years, but that will always have its limitations and it cannot sustain any Rangers team.

If Giovanni van Bronckhorst is to succeed as Rangers manager, he needs to oversee a culture change at the club. The squad will likely be subject to a complete overhaul in the summer, those that Gerrard brought in will be looking for moves elsewhere. Rangers will return to another transfer window of 10 signings or more. Where possible, those incoming players will have a track record of handling pressure. This will be the biggest transfer window of Ross Wilson’s career. After recent failures, every penny will need to be utilised shrewdly in a similar fashion to how Celtic have recently managed.

It also needs a strong manager who can create an environment and understanding of how Rangers have to be a team on the front foot and need to handle the pressure. It isn’t tangible or measurable, but the best managers instil it.

READ MORE: Rangers squad risks failure becoming Ibrox story as high-pressing approach is left unfulfilled

Gerrard survived three seasons because fans knew the mess he had cleaned up. Van Bronckhorst will not be given that flexibility as he arrived at Rangers in a position of strength.

While he has been given no funds to build his own squad, the job at Rangers is a brutally harsh one and he needs to stand tall.

For now, van Bronckhorst has to pick up the pieces and ensure Rangers do not end the season without silverware.

The long term problems can be addressed in June and there still can be joy from this season. It’s not what Rangers fans expected, but Gio needs to give Rangers fans something to be optimistic about.