Rio Ferdinand slams Fashion Sakala, says he cannot be trusted as Rangers lose 7-1 v Liverpool
Rio Ferdinand slammed Fashion Sakala for his role in Liverpool’s equaliser against Rangers at Ibrox on Wednesday night.
Seven minutes after Scott Arfield put the Gers into a shock lead in the Champions League group stage clash, Roberto Firmino was heading the away side level from a Kostas Tsimikas corner kick.
Tsimikas’ corner evaded both Sakala and James Tavernier, who bought got caught out at the front post to allow Firmino to head in the first of his two goals.
Liverpool went on to win 7-1 as the floodgates opened in the second half but at half-time, Ferdinand shared how unimpressed he was by Sakala’s defending of the corner.
“Sakala got caught under the ball, you can see it in one of those clips,” said Ferdinand at half-time on BT Sport 2 (12 October, 08:56pm).
“He’s under it, he doesn’t know where he is.
“He’s not someone you can trust in that front-post area.
“He gets caught under it and they get punished.”
Terrible
It was Sakala’s first start in the Champions League this season and only his third in all competitions as he lined up on Rangers’ right-wing against Liverpool.
And other than a couple of bright-ish moments in the first half where he managed to use his pace to get Rangers forward and up the pitch, it was a rather dismal showing by the Zambian.
What a game for Giovanni van Bronckhorst to throw him into though.
Sakala’s hardly impressed since his arrival at Ibrox last year and to expect him to be able to produce something against Liverpool of all teams is a tad too much.
Rangers’ right-wing position has been ignored way too often in transfer windows.
Ianis Hagi, Sakala, Kemar Roofe, Scott Wright and Rabbi Matondo have all been tried there and none of them have exactly done well – but none of them are out-and-out right-wingers.
Ross Wilson’s recruitment has been shoddy and it’s left us in a position where second-rate players are playing outside of their preferred position to fill that gap.
It’s really not good enough.
It’s amateurish.
In other Rangers news, there’s been yet another high-profile exit from behind the scenes at Ibrox.