Ross County manager Malky Mackay reckons Scotland’s stunning victory over Spain can offer his side hope ahead of Sunday’s Premiership showdown with defending champions Celtic.
Ange Postecoglou’s league-leading Hoops have won their last 14 games in all competitions and are nine points ahead of Rangers as they seek to close in on the title.
A 2-0 defeat by St Mirren last September is their only domestic loss this season and their passing style and clinical finishing under their Australian head coach leaves opponents trailing.
County only lost 2-1 against Celtic at Parkhead in November and have been competitive despite losing twice against the top team in league and cup action this season in Dingwall.
Scotland fans watched on with joy and admiration as Steve Clarke’s team were out of possession 75% of the time at Hampden, yet won the Euro 2024 qualifier thanks to Scott McTominay’s brilliant brace.
Almost 10 years ago, as Cardiff City manager, Mackay guided his men to a 3-2 win over a similarly impressive Manchester City in the club’s first home game back in England’s top-flight for 51 years.
Top teams don’t always secure wins
Therefore, the Staggies boss has reason to believe the impossible could become possible in the Highlands this weekend.
He said: “Tactically, there are ways of playing games. Clearly, Spain are one of the best possession sides in the world.
“Steve had his tactics to play against Spain and it can be similar at times when you play against the Old Firm.
“We did the exact same thing at Cardiff against Manchester City when we beat them. It doesn’t always confer that when you have possession of the ball, you win the game. Lots of factors come into it.
“You know when you play against Celtic, in general, they will have a lot of the ball. You have to be patient and calm out of possession.
“You have to be comfortable not having the ball. That’s the case when you play the top two and that’s what I have preached over the last 18 months as far as my team is concerned. Be patient out of possession.”
Plenty can happen after league splits
Ross County are second bottom of the league, two points ahead of Dundee United, who face Rangers on Saturday, and one point below Kilmarnock.
And they return to action for the first time since losing 2-1 at Livingston on March 18.
After tackling Celtic, County will face St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Hearts before the split for the final five tension-filled fixtures.
Mackay is adamant the battle at the bottom is not a three-way tussle.
He said: “I don’t think so, because of the fact that we all play each other once the split happens.
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“I think if anybody was foolish enough to say that it’s only about Dundee United, Ross County and Kilmarnock, then you haven’t watched a lot of football.
“Runs happen at any point in the league, and pressure comes on at the end of the season – lots of different factors come into play, especially when you move into those final five games.
“I’m just starting straight at the team that’s in front of our face.”
Squad changes alter clubs’ abilities
Last season, County secured a brilliant top-six finish as they challenged Dundee United and Motherwell for the respective European spots.
Mackay stressed that, outside the top three places, no team, no matter their size, can be assured of finishing where they want to be.
He added: “You look at years gone by at the teams that have challenged one year and not the next – the turnover of squads are huge.
“If you can keep a squad together, you can build on it. I’ve spoken before about the players we lost.
“This league is so precarious and so balanced, outside of that two-and-a-half – because Hearts have had a little run for a couple of years, and Aberdeen did have a run under Derek McInnes – anybody can beat anybody.
“You saw last year that big city clubs like Aberdeen and Hibernian ended up in the bottom six.
“A club with big investment in it like Dundee United has ended up in an area this season that you would normally see us being in with two or three others.”
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