HAVING sat and watched the Old Firm game yesterday, which in all truth most would acknowledge Celtic won at a canter, it wasn't until 30 minutes after the match in Pedro Caixinha's press conference that I actually found out what formation Rangers were playing during the opening 45 minutes. I clearly wasn't the only one.

Looking at the Rangers players running around aimlessly chasing hooped shadows, they clearly had no idea what they were meant to be doing either. It was chaos and they couldn't get close enough to lay a glove on Celtic – unforgivable in this most ferocious of derby games.

All bar Andy Halliday that is, who was very lucky not to get a red card for taking out Patrick Roberts inside three minutes. Considering the players have reportedly been in six days a week working around the clock with the new gaffer, this has to be a bit of a concern.

Now, I must say I have been impressed with Caixinha since he arrived at Rangers. He has rubbed a few up the wrong way in terms of naming his and his opposition's teams well before kick-off, but I have found that interesting and slightly intriguing to see how a manager from a different culture works. He got a great result up at Aberdeen when the introduction of Joe Dodoo really changed the game. But, his first real test was pitting his wits against his greatest rivals from across the city, and, tactically, I'm afraid he failed miserably. He only had to look at the last encounter between the two for inspiration.

What must have been galling for the Rangers fans watching their side go down with a whimper was that just six weeks ago their boss sat in the stand at Parkhead and watched a tactical masterclass by a rookie coach in Graeme Murty. His side stifled and suffocated Celtic all over the pitch, particularly in the wide areas, and came away with a deserved point.

Murty achieved that result with a solid 4-5-1 formation, who pressed high and were brave in possession, a set-up that turned out to be devilishly hard for Celtic to break down. It was a defensively well-drilled Rangers team who looked a throwback to those Walter Smith teams who soaked up everything, and then plunged the dagger.

One of their best players that day was Lee Hodson, who in terms of out-and-out defending is streets ahead of James Tavernier. He should have been one of the first names on that Rangers team sheet, but instead sat on the bench for 90 minutes. Another strange decision was keeping Clint Hill on the bench.

Hill has became a real cult hero at Rangers and his experience would have been invaluable among that backline. Now, I appreciate he has been out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury, but if he was fit enough to be stripped and named, then surely he was worth the risk to start in what was Rangers final shot at winning something this season?

Celtic had that extra man in the midfield yesterday due to Rangers' abbreviated 4-4-2 set-up and they had the freedom of Hampden Park to set up attack after attack. The Rangers midfield sat off Scott Brown and gave their opponents acres of room to pick passes whereas last month, Celtic’s middle line was was hurried and hassled for 90 minutes.

I had been in many situations in my own playing career, when you go up against an opponent who you know have better players and are a better team. Usually it was the Old Firm. Over the course of a season you have no chance but in a one-off game, like yesterday, you have to be tactically perfect and have a bit of luck to get a result.

That is when your manager and coaching staff really earn their corn, coming up with a game-plan to succeed. Ultimately Celtic are a better side, and might have won anyway. However, I just felt the way Rangers set up minimised any real chance they had to get a win.

There can be no argument that currently, there is a big gap in the standard of player Celtic possess compared to Rangers. Looking at that Rangers squad, it needs ripped up this summer, to not only get closer to Celtic, but to finish ahead of Aberdeen.

By ripped up, I mean 10 or a dozen new faces in through the door and probably the same heading out. It will be crucial to see what market Rangers are in financially for players. Looking around that squad now, probably only Barrie McKay would fetch any sort of decent transfer fee, and he may be sold to give Caixinha extra funds to go about his business.

Ultimately the time to judge Pedro Caixinha will be eight or 10 games in to next season, when he has the chance to bring his own players in, and build what is his own team.

Certainly, I would expect a better standard of player in the Rangers ranks next term. I am sure he will have been aware of the budget available to him when he signed on at Rangers, which will still comfortably be the second biggest in Scotland.

But what he can't afford to do is get it so wrong tactically in big games, as he did yesterday. Now that really would be a red rag to Rangers fans.