Russell Martin needs new striker, Jack Butland nailed on – Three things learned vs Viktoria Plzen
Rangers managed to continue their Champions League journey with a 4-2 victory over Viktoria Plzen despite a 2-1 defeat on Tuesday night.
Lyall Cameron scored the Gers’ only goal in Czechia, sandwiched between Rafiu Durosinmi and Svetozar Markovic’s strikes.
However, few of the Ibrox faithful will care, with Rangers’ 3-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen last week providing enough of an advantage to get the result over the line.
Now, Ibrox News has analysed the result to see what we learned from the match.
Russell Martin has to sign a new striker
So far this season, Rangers’ strikers have struggled to find the net.
Cyriel Dessers’ only goal has come from the penalty spot, with the attacker being poor in many of the Gers’ other outings.
Before the match, questions about a new striker were no doubt prominent, but now they must be a priority.
- Dessers only completed eight passes before coming off against Viktoria Plzen
- The striker also failed to register a single shot on goal.
Dessers picked up an injury against Viktoria Plzen in an otherwise poor performance from the Nigerian.
While it is unknown how long the attacker will be out for, Martin must now look to sign a striker to solve this issue once and replace Dessers.
If not, the Gers could find themselves in a world of trouble this season up top.
Rangers continue to have defensive issues
One thing that has plagued Russell Martin’s reign so far is Rangers’ inability to defend.
Against Viktoria Plzen, the host had over 25 shots and should have easily scored more on the night.
This has been a common theme, with Jack Butland the main reason that Rangers overcame Panathinaikos.
On another night, the Czech side could have easily overcome their deficit with a bit more luck.
Now, Martin must figure out how to solve this issue before it hurts Rangers.
Butland has to remain as Rangers’ number one
Going into the new campaign, many Rangers fans will have likely wanted Butland out of the starting XI.
However, the England goalkeeper has been on fire so far this campaign, and pulled off numerous fantastic saves against Viktoria Plzen.
It is no question that without Butland, the Gers would likely be out of the Champions League.
Yet, the Glaswegians remained linked with goalkeepers, with Rangers showing interest in Karl Hein.
However, given the Englishman’s recent performances, Martin has to keep Butland as his number one for the foreseeable future.
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