Journalist Andrew Smith has criticised Rangers left-back Borna Barišic for his showing in the side’s 7-1 home Champions League defeat at Ibrox on Wednesday night.
Smith delivered his verdict in his player ratings piece for The Scotsman following the humiliating defeat in Glasgow.
It was a torrid evening for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, who found themselves on the end of a hammering from Liverpool, with substitute Mohamed Salah scoring a six-minute hat-trick.
29-year-old Barisic was playing on the left side of defence but was unable to deal with the Egyptian when he came on – and even issued an apology to fans of the Scottish giants for his performance.
And Smith didn’t hold back in a short but scathing review of Barišic’s display.
He wrote: “Borna Barišic: A mayday [signal] went up on the Rangers left flank as they began to be battered by Liverpool’s goal storm, with the Croatian all at sea during this mortifying spell.”
TIF Thoughts on Smith’s comments…
We think that Smith has got a point, and as a defender, you simply cannot allow a substitute to come on and score a six-minute hat-trick at your expense.
However, the 27-time Croatia international has been a fantastic servant for the Gers over the past few seasons, and you would fully expect him to regain his form and confidence in the upcoming games, despite enduring a chastening night at the hands of the Reds’ attack.
But after a shoddy performance all-round from Van Bronckhorst’s side, we agree with Smith’s rating for the defender on what was a difficult night for the Glasgow giants.