Rangers: Four Lads hit out at ‘disappointing’ John Souttar after what he did v Motherwell
Stevie Clifford, host of the Four Lads Had a Dream Rangers podcast, has slammed John Souttar after his performance in the 2-1 defeat v Motherwell at Ibrox.
Clifford singled out Souttar for his mistake, jumping in to try and win the ball when he should have just covered his man, as he questioned the defender’s decision-making.
This has come after a series of disappointing displays from the centre-back, with his role in the starting line-up being brought into question.
Speaking to The Rangers Review [4 March], Clifford ranted: “John Souttar for me, and dare I say this, has been really disappointing.
“He’s a great siege defender. By that I mean when people are attacking and throwing stuff on top of him he’s normally quite good at dealing with it, but positionally and defensively in making decisions, his judgement is really off.
“Trying to win the ball in front of the striker on Saturday wasn’t needed. Shepherd him down the line and make him do something, make him make a decision. He was off and I thought that was a mistake.”
John Souttar needs to improve his performances at Rangers
In the midst of a hotly-contested title race in the SPFL, Rangers cannot afford to give away sloppy goals and lose shock results like the one against Motherwell – and Souttar is one player who played a big part in that defeat.
His drop in performance against Motherwell was noticeable, as he recorded the lowest rating in the Ibrox News player ratings, but after some heavy criticism this is the type of form he cannot afford to let get to him, and he must bounce back.
Fellow centre-backs Ben Davies, Leon Balogun and Leon King have all been linked with moves away from Ibrox come the summer, and if he doesn’t start to improve, Souttar may be another Philippe Clement looks to replace.
With the European Championships coming up at the end of the season, the defender will want to see a notable step up in his displays to increase his chances of being part of the Scotland squad to face Germany in the opening game.
In other Rangers news, Ally McCoist and Jeff Stelling have shared a new title verdict live on air.
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