Porto away was always going to be a tough ask, and the defeat stings. But once you get past the raw emotion, nights like that tend to shine a light on what Rangers are missing and what we should be building around. For me, it came down to squad priorities, the balance of the right-hand side, and the fact the team still looks a bit light through the middle.
Curtis over Moore, and it shouldn’t be complicated
I’m not having a go at Mikey Moore for the sake of it, but if you’re weighing up minutes, Curtis should be ahead of him. Curtis is our player. If he’s going to make it here, he needs real football, not token cameos when the game’s already gone.
Moore has played plenty this season and, to be blunt, the end product hasn’t matched the involvement. Curtis, on the other hand, looks like he’s got a bit more bite in the final third. He looks hungry too, the sort of attitude you actually want when you’re chasing games and trying to turn pressure into goals.
Tavernier’s future: keep him, but plan properly
This is the one that’ll split folk, especially after a European loss, but I’d still give James Tavernier another one-year deal. There’s a reason people in the building speak highly of him. He’s reliable, he’s usually available, and he gives you set-piece delivery that genuinely wins you points over a season.
In the SPFL, against sides who sit in and make it a long afternoon, his strengths can still be a real asset. The answer, for me, isn’t “keep him and hope” or “punt him and start again”. It’s bring in another right-back in the summer who’s more solid defensively and rotate them. That way, in Europe, against Celtic, or when you’re trying to see out a game, you’ve got the defensive option ready.
Some will say Sterling can be that option, but it’s hard to build a whole plan around a player if injuries keep interrupting his rhythm.
The spine still needs sorting: striker and a proper number six
The biggest issue is still the spine. Rangers need a striker who can do the unglamorous stuff. Hold it in, link play, bring runners into the game, and still put the ball in the net. Without that profile, you can end up playing in front of teams rather than through them, and that’s how title races get away from you.
And behind that, we clearly need a proper number six. A midfielder who protects the defence, takes the ball under pressure, and lets the more attacking midfielders get higher up the pitch. The suggestion of Elliot Watt at Motherwell fits that idea perfectly in your head: he looks like the type who makes a side tick and gives you a bit of control when games get stretched.
None of this is a meltdown. It’s just what Porto highlighted again. Rangers don’t need ten changes, but we do need the right changes, in the right areas, and we need to be smarter about who we’re developing along the way.
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