Rangers duo have Danny Rohl under pressure already: ‘They got away with this one’
Emmanuel Fernandez and Nasser Dijga have been slammed, despite emerging victorious for Rangers on Saturday.
Rangers beat Livingston 2-1 at Ibrox, with Fernandez himself scoring the game’s opener with a powerful header.
Neil McCann called Fernandez’s goal a “monster header”, with the defender rising highest to power home after he was found by James Tavernier‘s corner.
But the Gers soon found themselves back level, with Tete Yengi finding acres of space behind the home side’s back line to equalise.
Livingston wanted a penalty when the ball hit Fernandez’s arm inside the box in the first half, but referee Ross Hardie waved away complaints.
Gary Keown slams Rangers defensive pairing
Djiga’s defending for the Livingston goal was branded “appalling” by Tom English, after the defender had let his man run off the back of him.
The defender has faced a tough start to life at Ibrox since arriving on loan from Wolves, and did little to take his chance on Saturday.
| Nasser Djiga | Vs Livingston (H) |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Accurate passes | 70/78 |
| Dispossessed | 1 |
| Tackles | 4 |
| Recoveries | 6 |
| Duels won | 8/11 |
Writing for the Scottish Mail on Sunday, Gary Keown was highly critical of both Djiga and Fernandez.
“They got away with this one in the end, but it’s hard to see how things are going to get all that much better any time soon for Rangers when they’re back playing Nasser Djiga and Manny Fernandez as their pairing at centre-half,” the journalist wrote.
“Being brutal, it’s hard to know why these guys are anywhere near Rangers at all – or how they’ve reached this level of football, to be quite honest.
“Current head coach Danny Rohl doesn’t have many other options, in fairness, thanks to an injury crisis that has seen John Souttar and Derek Cornelius ruled out along with a number of others.
“The standard of recruitment prior to his arrival isn’t something the German can be blamed for. However, this pair still have the potential to have him feeling the heat – as well as putting sporting director Kevin Thelwell and his recruitment team back under the spotlight after a couple of weeks off during the internationals.”
Choice not a luxury for Rangers
Rangers look set to have just three senior centre-backs to pick from for the foreseeable.
Rohl confirmed on Friday that he hopes to have Souttar back by the end of the year, while Cornelius could be out for even longer than that.
That would leave Djiga, Fernandez, and Clinton Nsiala as Rangers’ only options, although the latter’s appearance in the squad on Saturday was his first in any competition this season.
Thankfully, Fernandez enjoyed a strong performance against Livingston, but the less said about Djiga’s form, the better.
Nine games remain for the Gers before the end of the year, with key clashes against Dundee United, Hibernian, Hearts, and Motherwell all approaching.
Rohl does not have the luxury of choice, and will have to hope that he can coach some strong performances out of his unfavoured duo.
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