Midfield and striker problems persist

Danny Röhl has a few obvious headaches from that game. Half of the match felt winnable, but the same nagging problems — midfield balance, a missing strike partner for Chermiti and a lack of goals from wide — simply resurfaced.

Half a game apiece

To be fair, both teams had their moments. Celtic's half-time changes, especially bringing on Hatate, clearly shifted the momentum and made the second half tougher for us. Rangers tried to respond, but Diomande couldn't make the impact we needed when it mattered. The odd thing is it ended up feeling like two different matches: one side sharper for the first 45, the other better after the break.

Shape and the lone man

Our 4-4-2 still has merits — it gives width and two clear forwards — but it can be overrun when the opposition pack three into midfield. When we flip to a 4-3-2-1 it tends to leave Chermiti isolated up front. He’ll hold the ball and work hard, but without a proper partner running off him or reliable wide goal-threats he becomes frustrated and isolated.

Olsen hasn’t developed into the game-changing, goal-scoring wide player some hoped for, and that’s a real problem. Likewise, we don’t have a settled controlling number six. Raskin offers energy and carrying ability, but he can be positionally loose at times and that leaves gaps for opponents to exploit.

What needs sorted — quickly and in the summer

Danny Röhl will know the issues, but most of them are proper summer business. Right now he must get the best from the squad on hand: tweak the shape to protect the middle, be smarter with substitutions and perhaps give Chermiti more support from midfield when playing alone up top. Long term we need a reliable strike partner, a genuine midfield anchor, a winger who consistently scores, and a dominant centre-half to lead the back line.

We’re not collapsing as a club — we aren’t losing every week — but too many draws, defensive lapses and a thin midfield are costing points. Address those specific areas in the window and Rangers will be a much tougher side to handle.

Written by RohlWithCheese: 14 March 2026