Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate. Semi-finals are for winning. Nobody prints a DVD of a beautiful semi-final loss.

You get in, you get the result, and you get out. Rangers did exactly that against Montrose to punch their ticket to the cup final. The holders are heading back to defend their crown.

But if anyone in that dressing room thinks that performance was acceptable, they are in for a brutal wake-up call when they face Celtic.

Rangers dragged themselves over the finish line in a game that felt like it was played underwater. The tempo was atrocious. From the first whistle, Montrose made their intentions clear.

They set up with a stubborn 5-4-1 low block that was practically bolted to the penalty area. They dared Rangers to break them down. And for terrifyingly long stretches, Rangers simply couldn't figure out how to do it.

You would think a team stacked with Rangers' resources would have a plan B for a stubborn defense. Instead, we got endless sideways passing.

The center-backs knocked it between themselves, pinged it out wide, and watched as another hopeful cross was easily headed away. It was predictable. It was slow. It was the kind of football that makes you want to turn off the television and do your taxes instead.

Let’s not take anything away from Montrose. They played their role to perfection. They were organized, disciplined, and physical. They closed down spaces and frustrated the life out of the Rangers midfield.

They came with a game plan to keep it tight and hope for a smash-and-grab on a set piece. They almost made it work. But Rangers eventually found the breakthrough, because sheer squad depth usually wins out over 90 minutes.

The midfield void needs addressing immediately

The biggest glaring issue was the lack of urgency in the middle of the park. Rangers looked entirely bereft of ideas centrally. When you face a team sitting deep, you need quick, decisive movements.

You need runners breaking the lines. You need someone willing to take a risk and play a reverse pass.

We saw none of that. It was risk-averse to the point of cowardice. Midfielders were taking three or four touches when one was required. By the time the ball was shifted out to the flanks, the Montrose defense had already shifted across and shut the door. It was maddening to watch.

If Rangers roll out this same sluggish, pedestrian midfield against Celtic in the final, it won't just be a defeat. It will be a massacre.

Celtic do not sit back and let you dictate terms. They press high, they force mistakes, and they attack with pace. The lethargy we saw against Montrose will be punished within the first fifteen minutes.

The manager has to take a massive share of the blame for this. The starting lineup felt disjointed, and the tactical adjustments during the match were practically non-existent.

Making like-for-like substitutions in the 70th minute when you are struggling to create clear-cut chances is not tactical genius. It is hoping for individual brilliance to bail you out. And frankly, Rangers were lucky they got exactly that.

An Old Firm final changes the rules

Now, the narrative shifts. The Montrose game is in the rearview mirror. Nobody will care how Rangers got there when the teams walk out for the final.

It is an Old Firm derby with a trophy on the line. The stakes literally do not get any higher in Scottish football.

This is the fixture that defines careers. You can score a hat-trick against Aberdeen or Hearts, but if you go missing against Celtic, the fans will never let you forget it.

The pressure is suffocating. And Rangers are walking into it carrying the heavy burden of being the cup holders.

Defending a trophy adds a weird psychological element to the game. You feel like it is yours to lose rather than yours to win. That slight shift in mentality can make players tight.

It can make them second-guess their decisions. Against Montrose, Rangers looked like a team terrified of making a mistake rather than a team determined to dominate.

Celtic will smell blood in the water. They will have watched that semi-final and circled half a dozen weaknesses to exploit.

They know Rangers struggle with quick transitions. They know the full-backs leave too much space when they bomb forward, space that wasn't exploited by Montrose but absolutely will be by Celtic's wingers.

The tactical battlelines are drawn

Rangers have to find a way to inject some venom into their attack before the final. The wide players need to be far more aggressive.

Stop taking the easy option and turning back. Drive at the full-backs. Force them into making decisions. Commit bodies into the box.

The cross-and-hope strategy has to be binned. Celtic's center-backs will eat those floaty crosses for breakfast all day long.

Rangers need cut-backs. They need low, driven balls across the face of goal. They need to create chaos in the penalty area rather than just launching hopeful balls into the mixer.

Defensively, Rangers have to tighten up their transition game. When the attack breaks down, the midfield pivot is leaving massive gaps.

Montrose lacked the quality to exploit those pockets of space. Celtic will not be so forgiving. If Rangers turn the ball over in the middle third, they will be facing a rapid counter-attack before they can even blink.

It is going to require a monumental shift in attitude. The players need to wake up. They looked exhausted, both physically and mentally.

The long season is clearly taking its toll, but you do not get to be tired in an Old Firm final. You find another gear. You dig deep into reserves you didn't even know you had.

The week of noise

The build-up to an Old Firm final is unlike anything else in world football. The entire city of Glasgow descends into a week-long state of nervous hostility.

Every radio call-in show, every pub conversation, and every newspaper column is dominated by one single fixture. The noise is inescapable.

For the Rangers players, this week is about blocking out that noise. It is about focusing entirely on the task at hand. The problem is, when you put in a performance as disjointed as the one against Montrose, the noise gets louder.

The doubts start creeping in.

Fans start questioning the starting eleven. Should they play with two strikers? Should they drop the underperforming winger?

The manager is going to face a barrage of questions about his tactical setup, and rightfully so. He didn't have the answers against Montrose, and he needs to find them incredibly fast.

Celtic fans are already gloating. You can see it all over social media. They watched that semi-final and laughed. They see a Rangers team that is out of ideas and out of steam.

It is up to the Rangers players to use that arrogance as fuel.

No hiding place at Hampden

When the whistle blows at Hampden Park, there is nowhere to hide. The pitch is massive, and the atmosphere is electric.

It is an arena that exposes cowards and elevates heroes. If you are not mentally prepared for the battle, the occasion will swallow you whole.

Against Montrose, too many Rangers players looked happy to hide. They wanted someone else to take responsibility. Someone else to make the difficult pass.

Someone else to take the shot. You cannot survive an Old Firm derby with that mentality.

You need players who demand the ball when things are going wrong. You need leaders who will grab the game by the scruff of the neck and drag their team forward.

Rangers lacked that leadership in the semi-final. They looked like a collection of individuals rather than a cohesive unit.

The final will be a completely different tactical challenge. Celtic will not park the bus. They will come out swinging.

It might actually suit Rangers slightly better to play against a team that attacks them, as it will leave spaces in behind. But that only works if Rangers can actually transition the ball accurately and quickly.

Bragging rights and silverware

This final is about more than just a trophy. It is about momentum. It is about setting the tone for the summer and the start of next season.

A win for Rangers solidifies their status as holders and sends a message across the city. A loss hands the initiative straight back to Celtic.

Think about the broader context here. Scottish football is defined by these exact moments. The two Glasgow giants colliding with silverware sitting on a podium just a few feet away.

The intense, almost suffocating coverage from every sports desk in the country. It is a pressure cooker that has broken far better players than the ones currently wearing the light blue jersey.

We have seen legendary players shrink in this exact scenario. It takes a massive ego and an even bigger heart to walk out of that tunnel and demand the ball.

When the Montrose game got tough, the shoulders slumped. You could see the frustration boiling over in cheap fouls and thrown arms. That kind of petulance will get you sent off in an Old Firm final.

The refereeing will be under a microscope, and every single challenge will be scrutinized to death. You have to play with fire in your belly but ice in your veins.

The fans demand a reaction. The Rangers faithful who traveled to watch that turgid display against Montrose deserve better.

They expect a team that plays with fire, passion, and intent. They got none of that in the semi-final.

Rangers got away with murder against Montrose. They punched their ticket, but the performance was a massive red flag.

The holders are going to the final, but they are limping into it rather than marching. The Old Firm clash will be relentless, unforgiving, and brutal.

If Rangers don't fix their glaring issues immediately, they won't just lose their trophy. They will be embarrassed on the biggest stage of them all.