Lovenkrands reacts to ‘Crazy’ Rangers controversy he recently saw
Rangers made it hard for themselves yet again with another red card in their 2-2 draw against Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon.
Ferguson made several changes to his team at Pittodrie, resting players for the second leg of their Europa League tie at Bilbao on Thursday (17 April).
Rangers kept Celtic’s hands off the league trophy with the draw, but Ross McCausland followed Robin Propper, who was sent off in the first leg at Ibrox days before.
Peter Lovenkrands cannot believe it
Ferguson tried to cover his team selection with injury excuses, but everyone knew he was resting players for the huge trip to Spain.
His job was made even harder, though, when McCausland received a second yellow card just before half-time, leaving his side down to 10 men.
The challenge that led to his second booking was a heavy one and certainly not something you’d expect to see from a booked player, especially as it wasn’t a last-gasp opportunity.
| Aberdeen | Rangers |
| Leighton Clarkson, 31′ | |
| Ross McCausland (red card), 40′ | |
| Pape Habib Gueye, 44′ | |
| Hamza Igamane 49′ | |
| Ianis Hagi 90+6′ |
Although he is an inexperienced player, Peter Lovenkrands was disappointed with McCausland’s sending-off.
Speaking on the Scottish Football Social Club podcast (14 April), he said: “If a player’s not played a lot, McCausland, you get caught in a situation. He’s not played a lot, he’s going up and down trying to prove a point, and he makes a mistake, and it is a yellow card, yellow card, no brainer.
“It is a crazy decision, there’s no need for it to happen, and it puts the team under even more pressure in a game where there was already a lot of pressure anyway.”
Ferguson needs Rangers decision to pay off
Ferguson has come under some criticism for his team selection to take on Aberdeen, but you can understand the thinking behind it, with nothing left to play for at a domestic level.
Another red card in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Athletic Bilbao meant the Bears did well to come away with a 0-0 draw.
However, going to the away leg without an advantage is bound to be a massive task, and the boss will be hoping that his players are well-rested and also have some momentum to bring into the tie.
As the 49ers Enterprises look to complete a takeover at Ibrox ahead of next season, there is speculation surrounding who will be the next boss.
Ferguson has kept tight-lipped so far on whether or not it is something he is eyeing up but if he does want to be considered, victory in the Europa League could be a massive boost to his hopes.