Michael Beale hopeful Alfredo Morelos fit for Old Firm derby
Posted Thursday, December 29, 2022 by PA
Michael Beale hopes Alfredo Morelos is declared fit for the Old Firm derby after the Gers striker limped off in the 3-0 cinch Premiership win over Motherwell at Ibrox.
The Colombia international scored in the 13th minute with a header before defender Connor Goldson’s counter after 38 minute with midfielder Malik Tillman adding a third after the break before Morelos had to come off.
Strikers Kemar Roofe and Antonio Colak were both available again, but were not in the squad although they may be called upon for the visit of league leaders Celtic on January 2.
Beale, who has won all four games as Gers boss, said: “We had a bit of a red flag after the Aberdeen game, to be fair. He was due to come off just as we scored the third goal, because he felt some tightness in his hamstring.
“So obviously he missed the Ross County game, only came on for the last 30 minutes and felt fine, so we started him tonight.
“I believe it’s tightness. So hopefully he’s come off at the right time before it’s anything bigger.
“He’s had to go to the well because we’ve had very limited options there with Kemar and Antonio out.
“They’re both fit to go. They’re physically fit, in terms of training. But whether they’ve got 90 minutes in them at this moment in time, you would probably say no. So it’s good to have them back.
“If Alfredo is not ready, they will share the minutes and play. I think it’s important that they are back for us.
“I think Antonio and Kemar only need a moment to change the game so it is nice to have them. Ideally it would be off the bench”
Despite 12 points from 12 as Gers boss, Beale is still not happy with performances.
He said: “It’s three points, a clean sheet, that was it. We were disjointed again.
” It wasn’t free-flowing, I won’t sit here and pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. It wasn’t what I wanted it to be. #
“If you had said to me we would take 12 points from these four games, with a couple of clean sheets leading into the next game, I would have taken it. I would have liked us to be playing with a bit more rhythm.
“But it’s another three points and a clean sheet with Ben (Davies) and Connor (Goldson) on the pitch.
“We need to find some rhythm quickly or we need to be much better out of possession because we are giving away the passes unopposed. That is a concern because it’s leaving us vulnerable.
“It’s not something I expected so it’s an area I have to work on in the next three or four days.
“Right now I would take results over performances but I know, over time, that we have to play better.
“The fans want to be excited and entertained. The players want the same.”
Fir Park boss Steven Hammell, who brought on 16-year-olds Luca Ross and Lennon Miller as he tries to cope with injuries and illness in a run of one win in 10, said: “It’s a tough one to take. I felt we had a lot of the game in the early parts and the plan was to come here, start positively and I felt we did that.
“But you have to take advantage of that with the territory we had and areas we got into.
“We just weren’t clinical enough but that’s the story of our season so far. The goals we conceded were cheap too.
“When you get into these areas here, they don’t come around as often as they do at other venues but when you get there you need to be clinical,
you need to have belief.
“Look at Rangers, when they get into those areas they punish you. We need to learn from that.”
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