Steven Naismith suggests playing John Lundstram in defence lead to Rangers to concede v Motherwell
Steven Naismith pointed to the decision to play John Lundstram in a Rangers back four as a reason that Motherwell got back into the game at Ibrox.
The English midfielder had performed well in the middle of a five in the second half against Dortmund, but Giovanni van Bronckhorst made the surprise decision to utilise him next to Connor Goldson on Sunday (27 February) and leave Leon Balogun on the bench.
Motherwell pulled their first goal back in the eventual 2-2 draw when Kaiyne Woolery outpaced the summer signing from Sheffield United down the right to put a ball across for Jordan Roberts to convert.
Speaking on BBC Sportscene, former Gers attacker Naismith said of the goal: “They’re wide open. [Motherwell] win it, and then they’ve got the pace.
“On another note as well, Lundstram at centre-half. He’s quite exposed there. If he’s in the middle of the park that maybe doesn’t happen.”
He was also unimpressed with Goldson and goalkeeper Allan McGregor’s role, saying: “You would expect it to be cut out before it gets to the back post for Roberts to slot in.”
Odd move
When the team sheet was released ahead of kick-off it was the decision to pair 28-year-old Lundstram with Goldson in the centre of defence that drew the attention.
Balogun had returned to great effect in the Europa League tie, following an injury lay-off, and Borna Barisic was also on the bench so Calvin Bassey could have been used in the middle.
It was especially odd considering all four of the back line played the full 90 minutes in Europe when the two men named among the substitutes had only played 45 each.
Everything looked to be paying off with Gers in control of the first half, but the defence looked leggy and tentative as the game wore on.
Fresh legs seemed like a must after the high of the Dortmund result, especially considering the Light Blues had dropped points in similarly frustrating fashion following the first-leg win in Germany as well.
Balogun seemed an obvious choice to come in, having performed well in midweek.
For the second week running the manager opted to keep changes minimal, with just the two at Ibrox, and coupled with the surprise choice in the back line, it came back to bite him.
In other Rangers news, van Bronckhorst went from hero to zero with his tactics between Thursday and Sunday.