OPINION
Rangers crashed out of the Europa League at the group stage with a 1-0 defeat by Rapid Vienna on Thursday night, and as ever there were plenty of talking points to take away from the clash.
Steven Gerrard and his men knew only a win would take them through to the last-32 and they came close to an opener through Connor Goldson and James Tavernier, but Dejan Ljubicic’s 84th-minute strike sealed their exit.
This is Futbol have picked out three things we learned about Rangers v Rapid Vienna below.
Coulibaly must be axed
It took just a few games for Rangers fans to fall in love with combative midfielder Lassana Coulibaly when they signed him on loan from Angers in the summer, with many back then calling for the club to make his deal permanent. Fast forward a few months and those calls have now become non-existent as Coulibaly struggles badly for form. The midfielder was once again poor on Thursday, with Coulibaly labouring through 70 minutes before being withdrawn by Gerrard. What has happened to see his form nosedive so badly is not clear, but Gerrard must now axe the Mali international from his starting XI. He has plenty of other options in midfield, with the positive return of Ross McCrorie on Thursday giving him another, and the 5’9″ Coulibaly is a waste of a jersey in the centre at the moment [Transfermarkt].
Middleton not quite ready
One of the major positives in the early season for Rangers was the emergence of young winger Glenn Middleton, who impressed whenever called upon by Gerrard. In fact, one of his most impressive displays came in this competition against Spartak Moscow, with Middleton scoring one and another in a 4-3 loss. Middleton’s form has, like Couliabaly’s, seemed to dip in the last few games, and Thursday was no different. Obviously a young player is going to be inconsistent but Middleton was highly ineffective all game long for the Gers in a performance which proved he is not quite ready for the big time yet.
Jack becoming essential
One positive from Thursday’s loss was another strong display from Scotland international Ryan Jack, who is slowly becoming undroppable for Gerrard in midfield. The combative midfielder missed much of the early season through injury but has recovered to stake a seriously strong claim to start every match for the Light Blues. Jack is never going to offer much going forward but the work he does in defence is invaluable, and he was at the top of his game once again on Thursday. His consistency in recent weeks has been seriously impressive, and Gerrard will be hoping he keeps that up in the months to come.