THE first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem. And if Rangers are to have any chance of closing the gap to Celtic in the long term, they must first acknowledge that there is one. And a significant one, at that.

The evidence is there in black and white in the league table. The gap is now 12 points.

Granted, only the three points Celtic won from Rangers at the weekend have been added to that tally since the arrival of Michael Beale at Ibrox, but while Beale has taken some comfort from his team’s performances in the draw and the two losses he has now suffered at the hands of Celtic, that – and a single point – is all he has to show from the three meetings.

Yes, Rangers have played well and matched Celtic for spells in all of those matches. But matching Ange Postecoglou’s side in patches is nowhere near good enough, and Celtic’s greater class has ultimately shone through.

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In almost every department, Celtic have shown themselves to be the stronger outfit. The injury to Connor Goldson didn’t help Rangers on Saturday, but they were a shambles at the back. Ben Davies was badly at fault for Celtic’s second goal, while a rusty John Souttar sold the jerseys for the third.

Allan McGregor has at times shown he still has outstanding shot-stopping ability this season, but he looked every minute of his 41 years as he attempted to get out to the ball ahead of the fleet-footed Jota in that incident.

In midfield, Nico Raskin competed well and shows signs that he may be able to help take this Rangers team up a level, but fellow new signing Todd Cantwell was sporadically involved, and Malik Tillman was a largely peripheral figure. The same can be said for Ryan Kent, whose occasional moments of brilliance against Celtic over the years can’t mask the fact that more often than not, he goes missing when his team are crying out for some creativity.

He will likely leave in the summer along with Alfredo Morelos, and an argument may be made that the departure of the pair is the best outcome for all parties. For all the undoubted quality that both Kent and Morelos possess, they have shown they cannot consistently produce their highest levels; the levels that are required to hurt Celtic.

Morelos will rightly feel hard done by that he didn’t add to his meagre Old Firm goal tally as his first-half strike was controversially disallowed for an apparent foul on Alastair Johnston, but his record of three goals in 22 appearances against Celtic is abysmal. Kyogo Furuhashi has five in his last three games against Rangers, by way of contrast.

Kent and Morelos are two players who more than any others represent this era for Rangers. Capable of brilliance, but not nearly often enough. And ultimately, they are the poster boys for their underachievement.

That charge has often been laid at the door of James Tavernier before too, but the captain’s brace at the weekend as he brought up his century of goals for the club at least showed that he is capable of standing up in these big matches.

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Beale’s insistence that the gap ‘isn’t massive’ between this Rangers team and Postecoglou’s Celtic was understandable on one level, given that he has to maintain belief within the ranks for the forthcoming Scottish Cup semi-final between the sides. But far more intriguing was his acknowledgment of the level of surgery his team require if they are to really carry the fight to Celtic next season.

“Listen, we’ve got work to do,” Beale admitted.

“We have made improvements – I think everyone can see an improved Rangers team now in terms of our energy and commitment. But we certainly need to recruit in the summer. We need to come out of that window a lot stronger.

“I’m a defender of these players because I manage the team. And I don’t think the gap’s massive between us and Celtic.”

A new goalkeeper, at least one centre-back, midfield reinforcements and a quality striker are the least that is required to even begin to bridge that gap, which might not be as big as it was, but is still more substantial than Beale cares to publicly admit.

High earners will depart, but while that will free up wages, they won’t bring in transfer fees. A decision will have to be made on Tillman, who has shown up well at times, but to acquire the on-loan Bayern Munich man on a permanent basis would eat up a huge part of Beale’s budget that might be better spent in other areas.

Beale has improved Rangers to the level where they are now doing what is expected of them against the rest of the Premiership. But they have now gone six league matches without beating Celtic, and it is in these matches that the league will likely be won and lost next season.

And make no mistake, Celtic will also strengthen in the summer. It could be argued that Rangers will need six or seven quality additions even to cling onto their coattails.

Rangers can’t fall into the trap of allowing a sense of grievance over refereeing decisions at the weekend and fine margins on the day to give them false sense of comfort about their strength in relation to Celtic. Even on an off day, a combination of poor play from Rangers and their superior quality at the sharp end of the pitch was still enough to get them over the line.

As well as the 12 extra points that Celtic have accumulated, they have also scored 22 goals more than Rangers and conceded seven less. That is a massive gap in anyone’s book, and the only way Rangers can bridge it is by recognising it exists, and backing Beale to perform the large-scale rebuilding job required in the summer.