Kenny McLean calls out Rangers star after what he said about Sturm Graz defeat – ‘It happens too often’
Rangers fell to yet another dismal defeat as they were beaten 2-1 away at Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday.
Woeful defending in the first half gave Sturm Graz a 2-0 lead before Djeidi Gassama pulled one back after the break, but Rangers could not find an equaliser.
Russell Martin was under pressure before the game, but should arguably be sacked on the spot as he continues to face heavy criticism.
Several Rangers players continued to disappoint, and former Aberdeen midfielder Kenny McLean has now called out one of them.
Derek Cornelius slammed after post-match interview
Derek Cornelius spoke to the media after the game, and he was upfront about Rangers’ defensive issues after a disgraceful first half.
“We need to look at ourselves in the mirror as it’s us on the pitch,” Cornelius stated.
“We all need to see what went wrong in the first half, and it all starts with each individual being switched on the entire time.”
- Cornelius was partly to blame for the first goal as he was out of position.
- James Tavernier’s throw was intercepted, and John Souttar was also culpable before Jack Butland made a huge error.
McLean was unhappy with Cornelius’ comment and hit out at the fact that the Canadian and the rest of the Rangers’ defence were switched off at all during the first half.
“He did sum it up well there, but when you speak about switching off and not doing the job right, he can’t do it at this level,” McLean stated on TNT Sports.
“It’s as simple as that. You can’t switch off for a second, because he says they were switched off and found ourselves 2-0 down, and it happens too often.
“When you find yourself in that situation, then you don’t really give yourself much chance.”
- Read more: ‘Russell Martin must do this after what Rangers fans did to him in Austria vs Sturm Graz’
Derek Cornelius had mixed display against Sturm Graz
Hardly any defensive player covered themselves in glory against Sturm Graz, but Cornelius improved in the second half.
Cornelius drove Rangers forward well, particularly after switching to left-back as Jayden Meghoma came off, before he was substituted for Mikey Moore.
However, a crucial moment came as Cornelius switched off for the first goal, and while Butland was at fault for the shot, the defence should have done better to prevent the strike.
Martin’s sides are usually poor defensively, but individual errors from a lack of concentration are unacceptable, no matter who the manager is.
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