Former Old Firm rivals Scott McDonald and Lee McCulloch claim that Rangers’ biggest area of need is up front.
The Ibrox side fell to a 1-0 defeat against Celtic in the first Old Firm derby of the season on Sunday, and McDonald and McCulloch quickly identified the problem.
“Rangers couldn’t get out because in my opinion [Alfredo] Morelos didn’t keep the ball well enough,” McCulloch told BBC Sport Scotland. “I’d have went [Kyle] Lafferty up front on his own. I know Morelos is a goalscorer, I don’t see him as a lone striker.”
McDonald also weighed in: “Rangers,” he said. “They’re solid at the back, they’ve got good structure, very difficult to break down, it’s just in these forward areas, as it gets tighter, as it gets colder, pitches get worse; have they got the quality to go and break teams down in those games, in the big games where you need a big performance?
“Have they got them at the high end of the pitch? Celtic have. Question is, later on in the line, are Rangers going to have them?”
OPINION
McDonald’s question is one worth asking. It was abundantly clear during Sunday’s Old Firm game that Rangers didn’t quite have the quality to break down Celtic’s stout defensive line. Dedryck Boyata, Mikael Lusting and co. looked imperious throughout, and neither Morelos nor Lafferty truly bothered them. There’s lots to work on for Gers boss Steven Gerrard following the defeat, as his side were clearly second best throughout. It wasn’t a bad derby day effort from the team, but they just weren’t quite good enough to stop Brendan Rodgers’ side. This will have been a wake up call for Gerrard, and he will already be dissecting the weaknesses in his team. Despite what McDonald and McCulloch say, the problem appeared to be in the areas just behind the strikers. They need a creative midfielder, a number 10 who can unlock the door against tight defences. That would bring out the best in Morelos, and help the Ibrox outfit to close the gap on their Glasgow rivals.