Since Russell Martin took to work in the summer, the Glasgow Rangers have not been defensively sufficient for Scotland’s prime minister and Europe.
The Light Blues conceded six goals in six league matches, giving up 3.79 xg to GENK in the Europa League and lost 9-1 in the Aggregate in the Champions League playoffs.
This shows that the Scottish giants have spitted too many opportunities for opposition teams across all competitions, indicating that if the head coach wants to change seasons and achieve success and hopefully achieve trophies, something has to change.
Livingston’s goal against the Ibrox Giants in the 2-1 victory of Martin’s team, the first victory of the season in the league, was another example of a boxy, sloppy defense by GERS.
It was an excellent delivery to the box, but John Sutal was caught under a flight of balls and the forward allowed the score as Mo Sylla wasn’t close enough for him to take him out of the header.
The defensive third club struggle this season suggests that there is a need to unearth a version of Connor Goldson, which was crucial for the success of Martin’s final GERS team to win the league.
Why Rangers Should Find the Next Connor Goldson
Light Blues will have to find the next version of an impressive centre-back at Ibrox, as their defenses are questionable since his incredible form in the 2020/21 campaign.
Stephen Gerrard led the Ibrox Giants to the title that season, and his team was built on a solid foundation with the original Brighton & Hove Albion Brute at the heart of the defense.
20/21 Premiership | Ranger | League Rank |
|---|---|---|
point | 102 | First |
xg | 69.2 | First |
the goal | 92 | First |
Shah | 18.8 | First |
Recognized goals | 13 | First |
A beautiful sheet | 26 | First |
loss | 0 | First |
Statistics via FOTMOB | ||
As you can see in the table above, the Rangers had an incredible defensive record with the British Titans at the back that season, conceding just 13 goals in 38 games.
Playing as a centre-back on the right, Goldson is a very dominant central defender in that campaign, earning 68% of his ground duels and 72% of his air duels per sofa score.
His dominance for the Scottish Giants helped the team remained solid and unbreakable. This was one of the main reasons they won the title that season.
The Gers need the next dominant and reliable centre-back to lead the backline, as Goldson did with the success of his final title, and the next version of the giant may be made, but not Derek Cornelius.
The Rangers Star, the next Connor Goldson in the making
The Rangers showed some promising signs against Livingston by swooping to sign Cornelius on loan from Marseille at the summer transfer window, earning four of the seven duels per sofa score.
As evidenced in the previous clip, the lender made five clearances, two intercepts and one tackle, and was his defensive partner, Souttar.
However, Canada International lost 67% of the duel against Jenk in the Europa League and is the centre-back on the left. That is, he rarely becomes the next Goldson from a physical or positional perspective.
But the less visible Emmanuel Fernandez could ultimately become the club’s new version of Goldson as a physical presence towering over the centre-back position on the right.
The Rangers signed the British starlet of Peterborough United. This was signed in a deal that was described as a “smash hit” move by Posh Chairman Dara McCantney, but he has only played two matches in all his previous competitions.
Fernandez’s only appearance in the Premiership so far was in an 1-1 draw with St Mirren in August. In that match there was a positive negativity that was gained from his performance along with John Suterle.
25/26 Premiership | Emmanuel Fernandez | John Sutal |
|---|---|---|
exterior | 1 | 6 |
Tackle + Intercept per game | 4.0 | 1.5 |
Clearances for each game | 9.0 | 5.0 |
I dribbled the past with each game | 0.0x | 0.8x |
Dueling by game | 12 | 5.3 |
Success rate for ground dueling | 63% | 48% |
Success rate for air duel | 100% | 60% |
Statistics via Sofascore | ||
As you can see in the table above, the physical quality the 23-year-old star displayed in a draw with St. Mirren was particularly impressive, especially when considering that Souttar lost most of his ground duel this season.
These statistics suggest that towering British youths have a physical profile to replicate Goldson’s dominant defense.
However, Fernandez seemed a little away as desired with the use of the ball, unable to complete one long pass, making him seem a little relaxed and relaxed against the saint.
At the age of 23, the young man still has enough time to make his career successful at Ibrox. He may not be playing at this point, but his defensive and physical numbers against St. Mirren indicate that he could become the dominant defender of the GERS.
With Cornelius, who had been partnering with Goldson, coming into the left side of the defense, Fernandez was able to compete with Sutal to start in the role of the right centre-back, with GERS trying to find a solution to their volatile defence this season.
The defense wasn’t enough under Martin, but that’s a lot clearer, and a summer signature from Peterborough has shown some indications that he could become the dominant defender he needs.
So, the right-handed defender could be the next Goldson in the making at Ibrox if he could help Martin take the next step in his development to become a regular starter for the Light Blues of the future.
It’s now Fernandez to show his manager that whenever he is given the opportunity to prove his quality on the pitch he can rely on as a regular starter to solve the club’s defensive problems this season.
