McInnes and the Ibrox Spine

Across Glasgow, Derek McInnes is engineering a complete structural rebuild at Rangers. McInnes was appointed on June 17, 2026, signing a three-year contract after his impressive campaign with Heart of Midlothian. He has moved quickly to discard the possession-heavy, transition-vulnerable model of Danny Röhl.

At Hearts last term, McInnes favored a structured 3-5-2 system that prioritized defensive organization and quick vertical transitions. His team recorded the second-lowest xG against in the division, conceding only 28 non-penalty goals. The challenge at Ibrox is replicating that defensive stability while handling the pressure to dominate possession against low blocks.

The most significant change is in goal. Jack Butland is moving to Hull City in a £3m deal, with Croatian international Ivor Pandur moving to Ibrox for £6m. Pandur played in 45 Championship games for Hull last season, keeping clean sheets in both play-off semi-finals and the promotion final.

While Butland was a reliable shot-stopper, Pandur offers superior lateral mobility. His distribution under pressure is vital for McInnes’s plan to transition quicker from the back.

Rangers have also secured defender Ben Godfrey on a season-long loan from Atalanta, with an option to buy next summer. As the Sky Sports transfer tracker reported, Godfrey completed his medical in Glasgow on Sunday. He joins Ross McCrorie and Lawrence Shankland as the third major signing of the McInnes era, bringing Serie A defensive discipline and Premier League recovery pace to the backline.

The Maeda Pressing Deficit

Exactly seventy-two hours after Japan’s World Cup exit in Houston, the aftershocks are being felt at Lennoxtown. Daizen Maeda’s post-match admission that he needs to "take another step forward" is not merely the standard ambition of a 29-year-old winger; it is a tactical alarm bell for Martin O’Neill’s double-winning Celtic. Maeda has been the engine of Celtic’s defensive shape under O’Neill, contributing defensive work rate that cannot easily be purchased on the open market.

Last summer, Celtic rejected a bid of approximately £20m from Wolfsburg for the Japanese international. The reasoning was simple: Celtic felt they had no time to find a suitable replacement, especially with Adam Idah also on the verge of joining Swansea City. Maeda stayed, cleared his locker out, and proceeded to score 12 goals in his final seven games of the season to secure both the league title and the Scottish Cup.

"I personally feel that I need to keep improving and take another step forward. It made me realize that I can't stay at my current level and that I need to become a better player."

But the player’s comments following the 2-1 defeat to Brazil on June 29 suggest his patience has run out. He spoke of a realization that he cannot stay at his current level. If Celtic lose his high-intensity pressing, their entire defensive block will have to drop ten yards deeper.

In that World Cup match against Brazil, Maeda's defensive contributions were on full display. He completed 14 defensive actions in the middle and defensive thirds, more than any other forward on the pitch. His performance highlighted why Celtic cannot afford to lose him without a fight.

To understand why Maeda's potential departure is so damaging, you must look at Celtic’s defensive actions in the final third. Under Martin O’Neill, Celtic defend from the front, using Maeda to trigger their high press. Maeda averages 27.4 pressures per 90 minutes, with 8.2 of those resulting in a turnover within five seconds. Without Maeda, O'Neill's side will lose their primary defensive disruptor, forcing them to transition from a high press to a mid-block, exposing their center-backs to direct running.

To counter this potential drop in open-play efficiency, O'Neill has hired Ross Grant as a set-piece coach from Hearts. Grant, who previously worked at Dundee United, is task-oriented and highly regarded for his defensive corner structures. Celtic conceded 11 goals from corners last season, a statistic that O'Neill hopes Grant's appointment will resolve.

The Mid-Table Tactical Shifts

The tactical shifts are not limited to Glasgow. Hearts have signed Nottingham Forest midfielder Cormac Daly on a two-year contract following the expiry of his deal in England. The 19-year-old developed in the Hamilton Accies youth system and brings technical security to Tynecastle.

Daly's signing at Tynecastle is a direct attempt to fix Hearts' midfield imbalance. Under Neil Critchley, Hearts struggled to maintain control of central areas, often reverting to long-ball strategies when pressed. Daly's composure under pressure and 89% pass completion rate at under-21 level suggests he can be the metronome they need.

Aberdeen are also reshaping their squad under a high-turnover model:

  • Alexander Jensen is close to completing a £500,000 transfer to Swedish club Elfsborg.
  • Marko Lazetic is attracting interest from Portugal and Turkey after signing on a free transfer from AC Milan last summer.
  • Topi Keskinen has seen multiple bids rejected as Aberdeen value the Finland international winger far higher than current offers.

Striker Kusini Yengi has also received offers from Tokyo Verdy and RB Omiya Ardija. The 27-year-old Australia international is reportedly unwilling to move to Japan permanently after his loan spell at Cerezo Osaka. Kilmarnock have added physical power by signing midfielder Mark O'Hara from St Mirren on a two-year deal.

O'Hara made his debut for Killie in 2012 at age 16 and returns as a mature box-to-box midfielder. Under Neil McCann and Billy Dodds, Kilmarnock have also secured Rangers midfielder Bailey Rice on a season-long loan.

The Derby Prediction

The first Old Firm derby of the season is scheduled for September 20 at Celtic Park. It will be the first major tactical battle between O'Neill and McInnes in their new roles. McInnes will deploy a compact 4-2-3-1, relying on Godfrey's speed to contain Celtic's direct attacks.

Tactically, the match will likely settle into a pattern of Celtic possession against a mid-block. O'Neill will instruct his full-backs to push high, attempting to overload Rangers' flanks. However, if McInnes can transition quickly through Pandur to Shankland, Rangers can exploit the space vacated by Celtic's advancing defenders.

Without Maeda, Celtic will struggle to break down Rangers' defensive block. Pandur's ability to sweep behind Godfrey will nullify Celtic's long balls. This will force O'Neill to rely on Ross Grant's set-piece designs to create goalscoring opportunities.

Rangers' defensive rebuild will give them the edge at Celtic Park. Expect McInnes's side to absorb Celtic's pressure and score on the counter-attack. A narrow 1-0 victory for Rangers will set the tone for an intense title race.