Given the way Andreas Skov Olsen was reflecting on his performance in Club Brugge’s Belgian league clash with Beerschot this weekend, Rangers supporters would be forgiven for assuming that he too had found himself on the wrong end of a potentially title-deciding scoreline.
The reality, however, could hardly be more different.
Because, while Rangers wilted under the pressure and collapsed like a house of cards in a hurricane against Old Firm rivals Celtic – Asaron Ramsey’s third-minute was as good as things would get in a performance full of hopeful, ailmess crosses but very little serious threat – Skov Olsen was the architect behind a 3-1 away win that keeps Brugge within touching distance of top spot.
Not that the Denmark international was not 100 per cent content at full-time, despite a pair of assists and a Man of the Match award to boot.
- READ MORE: Fulham’s XI if they kept their top stars
“I had a few chances to score,” sighs the ever-demanding Skov Olsen, always the first to criticise his own performances (Walfoot).
“The first goal was disallowed for offside and (team-mate) Mats (Rits) took the second goal away from me!
“I know it wasn’t on purpose, but it kinda sucks.”
Goals haven’t been in short supply for Skov Olsen since he joined on loan from Bologna in January. He’s scored four and set up six more in just seven league starts – a complete contrast from his misfiring days in Serie A.
There’s a reason why he’s been likened to Arjen Robben and Mo Salah, after all.
Old Firm disaster for Rangers?
Rangers were six points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table when they made a £5 million bid for Skov Olsen in January (Il Resto Carlino). Three months later, they are an increasingly distant second.
Rangers went into the winter break in pole position. Now, with the engine spluttering and eventually conking out, they are little more than a fading dot in Ange Postecoglou’s wing-mirror.
Would Skov Olsen have jump-started Rangers’ season? A signing capable of filling the tank once again?
His remarkable record since moving to Belgium – a league three places lower than the Scottish Premiership in FIFA’s coefficients – suggests that the answer to that question may be an emphatic yes. A Rangers side with Skov Olsen surely wouldn’t have lost in such limp fashion against a Celtic side who’ve now beaten Van Bronckhorst’s by an aggregate score of 5-1 since the turn of the year.
Rangers regret
“I’ve been excited to see Rangers linked with Andreas Skov Olsen,” Gers legend Brian Laudrup told the Mail.
“He’s been fantastic for Denmark recently. If you are looking for a hug the line player, a real creative force, then Skov Olsen ticks the boxes. I think he would be wonderful to watch in a system like Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s.
“He’s a crowd pleaser. But an effective one, too. He’s not a type you see that often. Even on a short-term deal, he’d be able to do something and deliver for the team if played in the right areas.”
While Celtic seized the chance to strengthen their squad in January – Reo Hatate has dominated an Old Firm derby once already while Daizen Maeda was irrepressible on Sunday – Rangers will be looking back on a winter of discontent with their fair share of regret.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
