Why are Rangers conceding so many? It may be simpler than you think | OneFootball

If there is one thing that stands out about Rangers right now, it is the entire lack of defending. Regardless of who the manager is, Rangers defenders simply don’t know how to defend. They might get a bit of luck now and again but generally speaking, the defending is utterly atrocious. The big catch here is it could be fixed with a simple touch of coaching to resolve Rangers conceding.

Rangers conceding

Ibrox Noise, not that long ago, discussed with a legend of the club, a former defender at Rangers, who really knew how to defend. And he told us, specifically speaking, how he had also himself spoken with David Weir, that he couldn’t understand why the defenders were so far apart from each other and weren’t communicating. That remains the case to this day. Whoever is at the back, be it Djiga, Souttar, Cornelius, or Fernandez, there is a lack of communication and a lack of cohesion between them. That is part the players and part the coaching. You can coach it into the players what to do, but if they are not communicating, and we can’t figure out who is to blame for that.

Defensive Distances

The distance that the defenders are away from each other is not helping. Who could forget that goal from Livi? Sure, we won the match, but the goal that they scored split the defenders right down the middle. And this kind of incoherent defending is a big problem at Rangers. The lack of alpha stoppers who understand what it takes to stop the opponents, who read the lines and who, importantly, communicate with each other and read each other, who know where the other is going to be, who can trust and rely on the other. That just doesn’t seem to exist at Rangers these days.

Lack of Leadership at the Back

There doesn’t seem to be any coherent defending and partnership, or even trio, that clicks in that way at the back. Where everyone can make a mistake, but someone else can bail them out. That’s normal in defence. No one is ever going to get everything right. Rangers conceding will happen. But for no one to communicate, and the distance that the defenders are separated by to be as great as it is, does not bode well for not leaking goals.

Conceding as Butland Carrying the Team

This is why Jack Butland is Rangers’ best player this season. Because he’s had to be. Far too many shots have come at him that should have been blocked much earlier, that should have been prevented by better defending. That is a combination of coaching and of defending communication. It’s the players and the coach who aren’t properly doing that. And we do not know why. We don’t know why we’re not seeing the kind of defending that even average defenders are capable of.

No Real Defensive Partnership

Individually, they might have some decent moments here and there, but they are not solving the problem of balls over the top, or balls through the middle, and getting the blocks in place. The interceptions and blocks aren’t non-existent, but they’re not happening when they should. The simple problem is, as well as many others that Rangers have, they simply cannot defend. And Danny Rohl, Russell Martin, and Philippe Clement were all guilty of the same thing.

Missing Leaders Like Balogun

The last time we had a decent partnership involved Leon Balogun. Dare we say it, yes, probably Conor Goldson too, to an extent. But Balogun really was a great leader, and a big strong guy. We just don’t have those now, and we don’t have guys who communicate anymore. This is a flaw with recruitment, with management, and the players themselves. Rangers conceding problems just continue.