The biggest difference for me in the second half wasn’t some magical bit of individual brilliance. It was Rangers getting a grip of their shape again. Dio coming on for Aasgaard, Raskin starting to have more influence, and the move back to a more traditional back four all made us look far less easy to play through.
Why the back four mattered
When you go a bit lopsided at the back, or you’ve got the centre-halves unsure whether they’re covering wide or holding central, you can end up with that horrible feeling where one pass takes you out the game. First half, that’s exactly how it looked at times. One ball down the side and suddenly there’s panic, bodies turning, and folk chasing back facing their own goal.
With a back four, it’s simpler. Both centre-halves can shuffle across and cover properly, and you’re not asking a full-back to do two jobs at once. It doesn’t solve everything, but it gives you a base. And in Scottish football, if your base is a mess, you’ll get punished whether it’s a big side or a “sticky” away day.
The left side: too open, too often
Down our left, it was unclear first half. Megholma looked like he was constantly out of position, and Fernandez didn’t seem sure whether to go across and help or stay tucked in. That indecision is deadly because it creates exactly the channel teams want: between full-back and centre-half, or right outside it.
To be fair, Megholma did look more disciplined after the break. That’s encouraging, because positioning is coachable. It’s often not about pace or effort. It’s about scanning, knowing where your winger is, and understanding when you can step out and when you simply can’t.
Sterling’s aggression is what we’ve missed
Meanwhile, Sterling on the right looked more disciplined, as you’d expect, but also properly aggressive in the right way. Everybody will (rightly) talk about Chermiti because goals win matches and that’s the currency. But I loved seeing a right-back who plays like he actually enjoys defending.
That sprint with him and Tierney towards the end said it all. He gave Tierney five yards, then nearly won it back anyway. That’s recovery pace, yes, but it’s also attitude. We need full-backs who defend their bit of the pitch like it’s personal. If Rangers are going to be serious, that edge has to be the standard, not the bonus.
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