Joe Aribo: Boring Rangers Ready For Celtic Title Challenge

The Super Eagles midfielder blames the mid-season break for the Gers sluggish win at home to Stranraer, but he is confident Steven Gerrard’s men will be back to their best by the time the league campaign gets back underway.

Aribo admitted that Rangers were boring in their win on Friday, but promises that fans would see a better team henceforth, as the title race enters the second half.

Champions Celtic have claimed the last eight Scottish Premiership titles, winning their 50th overall title last summer. Rangers’ last title arrived back in 2011, but the Ibrox giants are desperate to get back to the good old days. The Gers remain the most successful side in Scotland with their 54 league titles bettered by no other side in the country.

Rangers snatched the initiative against their bitter city rivals in the current title race when they earned a crucial 2-1 win at the home of the champions late last year. Only two points separate the two teams on the league table, but Steven Gerrard’s men enjoy the advantage of a game in hand.

Fans of the Light Blues expect Joe Aribo and teammates to power past every foe from now on. But having just returned from a short winter camp in Dubai, the Gers could only manage a 2-0 win over League One side, Stranraer.

The Super Eagles midfielder is, however, confident that all the rustiness fans saw on Friday against the Blues would be gone by the time Rangers face St Mirren on Wednesday.

“We knew we just needed to progress on Friday night,” Aribo was quoted by FourFourTwo. 

“It was a frustrating game at times. We knew we needed to show more.

“We were a bit rusty after the break and we needed to get that game in so we could move forward.

“We’ve not played in a few weeks so the first game was always going to be rusty and we are just happy to get rid of the cobwebs. Now we can move on.

“We had momentum after the Old Firm game and it’s important we keep the momentum going, even after the break.

“We don’t want to slip up, we don’t want to look back with regrets. We just want to win in every game we play.”

Aribo has proven to be a key addition to the Gers this term with the Nigeria international featuring 17 times and scoring twice.