Russell Martin defended as Rangers player ripped to shreds for what he did vs Livingston
Rangers have suffered a terrible start to their Scottish Premiership season.
Rangers’ 2-1 win over Livingston on Sunday once again displayed defensive frailties that have been consistently punished throughout the season.
Russell Martin’s brand of football has been consistently criticised for how susceptible Rangers have been to counter-attacks and crosses.
Whilst Martin continues to face pressure from the media, ex-Celtic legend Peter Grant has outlined one Rangers star who has been unacceptable this season.
John Souttar has to take blame for Livingston’s goal
Souttar has struggled this season, and the introduction of summer signing Derek Cornelius alongside him has had little impact on his personal performances.
Livingston made it 1-1 in the second half when Mohamad Sylla dominated Souttar to head home from Adam Montgomery’s cross.
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show on 1 October, Grant slammed Souttar’s role in the equaliser.
He said: “They’ve still got their Achilles heel, no matter what they do, no matter how they play.
“Souttar’s got to take full responsibility, if you’re a centre-half, you’re making sure the attacker is not making a run or getting to a header.
“Everyone is saying it’s Martin’s fault, no, it’s Souttar’s fault because he’s not been coached to walk away from a challenge.”
Souttar was also at fault for Genk’s goal at Ibrox in the previous match, adding to worries about his defensive capabilities in Martin’s system.
Souttar is an experienced international and performed brilliantly for Scotland against Denmark on 5 September.
| Souttar | Stat |
| Appearances | 18 |
| Goals | 2 |
However, whilst he has suffered from playing Martin’s possession-based style of play, he once again failed to do the basics of defending.
In an era where imposing, no-nonsense centre-backs are a dying breed, Souttar’s aerial weaknesses reflect the position that Rangers currently find themselves in.
Souttar has clearly shown that he is capable of playing well for many coaches, yet under Martin, his levels have completely dropped.
Russell Martin must change his playing style to suit his defenders
Souttar now joins a list of centre-backs at the club who have been below-par this season, or have even failed to get a first-team chance.
- Nasser Djiga
- Emmmauel Fernandez
- Clinton Nsiala
Initially playing on his favoured left side to accommodate for Djiga, Souttar didn’t take the brunt of the blame for Rangers’ early defensive woes.
However, Cornelius’ introduction to the starting lineup has exposed his mistakes on a much larger scale.
He will need to accept the criticism and learn from it, as Martin may need to tweak his system based on the defensive options he has at his disposal.
Whilst he is not to blame for individual errors, Martin must rethink his philosophy, or he will be out of a job very quickly.
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