Too Many Questions On The Right

To be fair, there were positives — the back line stood up and Sterling was a real handful. But the mistakes after the break, combined with an anonymous attacking display, left more questions than answers. This was a fixture that underlined how thin we are in a few key areas.

Defence held, but substitutions mattered

The centre-backs looked solid for long spells and you could see the shape doing its job. Sterling offered real threat and movement, which we badly needed going forward. Then Souttar comes on and a couple of shaky moments nearly handed the game away. One bad touch, one misplaced pass — that’s all it takes at this level. You can’t ignore those lapses; they cost points.

Olsen and the missing cutting edge

Olsen was a major disappointment. If the club have invested as suggested, expectations should be higher. He didn’t influence play or cause the opposition defenders enough problems. Sterling shows you how to unsettle a back four — quick feet, direct runs, purposeful decision-making. Olsen offered none of that on the day, and the lack of a focal goal threat was obvious. No save from the keeper was truly tested.

Right wing, midfield and recruitment needs

Raskin isn’t convincing as the long-term option and Gassama’s inconsistencies are glaring. Twice he tried to make it personal against Maeda and lost the ball rather than taking the simple pass. That selfishness kills rhythm. On the right we lacked penetration, and centrally we needed someone who can shoot from the edge of the box — someone to punish a goalkeeper from distance. In short: a genuine goal-scoring striker, a proper right-winger and a midfielder with a shot would change this side immediately. Simple, but true.

We can still fix this without panicking. But the club need to be honest about where reinforcements are required. To be a title side you need bite on the right and goals up front — neither was present here.

Written by MarcoVanGovan: 31 March 2026