Rangers told 'quality moments' masked major issues as 'weakness' exposed in title race with Celtic
Rangers have been warned they must address the ‘weakness’ they showed against Dundee at the weekend.
Rangers have been warned that their failure to hang onto their lead in the 2-2 draw with Dundee at the weekend exposed major flaws that will hinder their title credentials.
Fresh off the back of a seven-game winning run in all competitions, Rangers fought back after a 1-0 deficit with two stunning strikes from Badredine Bouanani and Nico Raskin, but a sloppy error from captain Dan Neil allowed the home side to snatch a point at Dens Park.
Ex-Rangers defender Alan Hutton has warned his former side that similar errors will see them lose further ground in the title race after Celtic's 7-1 thrashing of Hearts the following day left Derek McInnes’ men four points behind their Glasgow rivals.
"I thought they lacked a little bit of energy and intensity in the first-half,” said Hutton. “Luckily, second-half was better, and they came up with two quality moments. They stepped up in the second-half and created more opportunities - but they have to do more. It has to be better. They've been on a really good run. You're not going to go throughout the whole season without dropping points.
“Steven Pressley has done brilliant with Dundee, they're improving, you know you’re going to have to be top of your game. They have two good bits of quality, but then they're sloppy with passes, and take too many risks. We've spoken lots about Dan Neil, and how he's come on in leaps and bounds in recent weeks and months. But to then get caught and give away a goal is obvious poor.
"Teams that win titles understand how to see games out,” added Hutton. “For example, Raskin scores that goal, you're winning 2-1, you give no opportunities away, you make the right passes, you're all dialled in on what you have to do, you're not taking risks and you see games through. That's how teams win titles, they go to difficult places and you get the three points.
“Again, it doesn't really matter all the time how you play. I think home fans will look at the home games and expect them to play with a little bit of style, and score goals. But when you're maybe a night time kick-off, midweek, through at Dundee or wherever you might be, it's about winning. Getting the three points and seeing the game out.”
Despite his frustration at Rangers’ performance, Hutton praised Dundee’s “excellent” approach against the Glasgow giants and detailed the tactical tweaks that helped the Dark Blues take a share of the points and cement fourth place in the league table ahead of their upcoming clash away to St Mirren this weekend.
“You have to give credit to Dundee” he said. “I thought they were excellent. Well done for how they approached the game. I think they spotted a weakness in Rangers in being brave on the ball, but also thinking 'can we get it forward quickly?'. Rangers played with a high line and it caused them a lot of problems early on. Dundee sat in their formation, but when it was time to go and press they did. They were aggressive with it.
“When they got the ball, they moved it forward quickly. That caused Rangers all sorts of problems. Rangers have to find a way of dealing with that. Like that [the first goal] defensively, communication, understanding where you are on the pitch, somebody going and being aggressive. If a ball goes long, and you're a defender, you know to drop so you can then go and attack the ball. Rangers don't do that.”
Get our daily football newsletter by clicking here.
The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.