Ibrox View: Damning Hutton comments on Rangers 22y/o surely highlight major Gerrard headache
RANGERS OPINION
Rangers have left us all scratching our heads over the past couple of months.
From the high of that comprehensive win over Celtic at Parkhead at the end of December to last Saturday’s shock Scottish Cup exit at the hands of struggling Hearts, the past few weeks have been a baffling rollercoaster for supporters everywhere.
Whether it be dropping points from winning positions against Kilmarnock or St. Johnstone, or putting in two stunning performances to oust SC Braga from the Europa League, we haven’t really been guess which Gers side were going to turn up for any given match.
And one player who has exemplified that uncertainty perfectly is George Edmundson.
The 22-year-old has been in and out of the side since January, and seems intent on taking one step forward and two steps back whenever he is given an extended run.
Against Braga, for instance, he was arguably the man of the match, commanding his backline brilliantly and putting in the kind of performance that would surely have convinced any doubters that he was the player to fill in alongside Connor Goldson at the heart of defence.
Against Hearts, however, he looked a lot shakier.
Statistically, he managed fine, winning all four of his defensive duels, making nine interceptions, and putting in eight clearances, as per Wyscout.
But there was still an air of anxiety about him, as picked up on by Alan Hutton.
Speaking to Football Insider, the former Ibrox full-back said: “Defensively, for instance, Edmundson came in against Braga and I thought he was amazing.
“He was everything you want your centre-half to be; commanding, powerful, strong, defending when he has to, heading the balls.
“He looked like a bag of nerves against Hearts. I don’t know what it is, is it the pitch, the atmosphere? It’s difficult to pinpoint what it is but I don’t understand how players and a team like Rangers can go from a 10 out of 10 performance to not even a 4 out of 10.”
And Edmundson’s shakiness leaves Steven Gerrard with a headache.
The Englishman was only restored to the lineup because of Nikola Katic’s horror show against St. Johnstone a week prior.
Yes, Filip Helander is set to return to full training this week, but he still isn’t match ready, and even when he is, how will the boss feel about throwing straight back into a side that are reeling in the manner that the Gers are?
In short, Rangers are running out of personnel they can call upon at centre-back, and that means that Gerrard is going to have to go into Wednesday’s clash against Hamilton and essentially choose whoever he deems to be the lesser of two evils.
That is never a situation a manager wants to find himself in.
In other Rangers news, Steven Gerrard delivers sizeable hint on Gers future after loss v Hearts.