‘John Souttar lost his bearings in Rangers moment vs Roma’ – Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist wasn’t happy with John Souttar letting Artem Dovbyk get in behind as Roma scored their second goal against Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s team travelled to Ibrox on 6 November, with the Gers making four changes to their starting lineup.
Danny Rohl will hope to turn things around after losing to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on 2 November, with the Light Blues’ 10 men suffering a 3-1 defeat after extra time.
While most of the players undoubtedly exhausted themselves in the Old Firm derby, they started aggressively against the Giallorossi but found themselves two goals down at the break and eventually lost 2-0.
John Souttar woeful in Rangers loss vs Roma
McCoist was critical of Souttar, who appeared unaware of Dovbyk’s whereabouts in the build-up to Roma’s second goal.
The Gers icon feels the Scotland international lost his bearings while defending in that moment at Ibrox, with Lorenzo Pellegrini eventually finding the back of the net in the 36th minute.
With a backline that also included James Tavernier and Nasser Djiga, the Italian club managed to open up the Glaswegian outfit on several occasions, creating some significant opportunities.
Speaking on TNT Sports 3 on 6 November, McCoist said: “That can’t happen defensively, it just can’t happen. The ball came in, and Dovbyk is on the other side of Souttar. Souttar has to be aware of where he is. He’s got to be aware of where he is. Can’t allow that to happen.”
https://x.com/footballontnt/status/1986534654774485266McCoist added: “You must be aware where the centre-forward is, and he lost his bearings totally.”
Opta’s supercomputer had predicted Roma to win at Ibrox, and most people would’ve shared that view, given that the Italian outfit sit just a point behind first-place Napoli in the Serie A table.
The Glaswegian outfit were fighting against the odds, but fans in G51 were certainly fully behind them after creating a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium.
Danny Rohl makes massive blunder in starting XI at Ibrox
Danilo has been performing well under Rohl, but the Brazilian national was dropped to the bench, with Youssef Chermiti starting as the number nine.
The striker has had a mini-resurgence at Rangers under the German manager, scoring two goals in his last two William Hill Premiership appearances.
Even at Hampden Park, it was surprising to see Danilo being taken off at half-time as he was arguably the Gers’ best player.
If there’s one thing the Sheffield Wednesday boss may regret, it’s starting Chermiti over Danilo, with the Portugal Under-21 international failing to take his chances once again at Ibrox.
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