Too many fans are having a pop at Souttar and it's a bit off. To be fair, centre-backs don't operate in a vacuum, their performances are shaped by partners, formations and the players around them. Blaming one man rarely tells the full story.
The partnership matters
Look at any elite defensive pairing and you see simple things: communication, complementary traits and time on the pitch together. One defender who reads the game and another who times the tackle, or one who steps out while the other covers, suddenly looks far better than if either were trying to do both jobs alone. If a centre-back is constantly shuffled around, filling in beside a different partner every few weeks, that understanding never properly develops.
To be honest, coaches change shape and personnel for all sorts of reasons — injuries, form, rotation. But you can still spot when mistakes are systemic rather than down to one player’s ability. Poor positioning by a partner, a lack of cover from midfield, or even how high the team presses will all affect how exposed a centre-back looks.
When good players look poor
Fans like tidy narratives. Sometimes it’s easy to single out one man. You mentioned Kirgiakos and Julian Rodriguez, and that example illustrates the point well. Kirgiakos got stick for being out of position because he was compensating for the defender next to him. It made him look worse than he really was. Whether or not you agree with every detail of that memory, the principle stands: context matters.
Same goes for Souttar. Maybe Balogun could have been a steady partner but absences and changes make it hard to build that understanding. I’m not saying the situations are identical, but we should pause before writing off a player based solely on isolated errors. Centre-backs live and die by their partnerships.
What we should actually judge
When assessing a defender, watch how the unit functions: do they shift together, who covers when one steps out, and how do they handle transitions? Look for consistent patterns rather than one-off mistakes. To be fair, fans want accountability — I get that — but don’t let frustration with results turn into an unfair target on a single player.
At the end of the day, it’s easy to criticise from the stands. If we keep the discussion about units and understanding, we’ll have a much clearer picture of who’s actually at fault and who’s carrying extra weight because of poor partners or system problems.
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