A sickener. That’s the only way to describe Glasgow Rangers‘ late heartbreak on Wednesday evening, with Danny Rohl‘s men squandering the chance to keep the gap to just three points at the Premiership summit.
It had, on paper, looked to all be going smoothly for the Ibrox side, with Nicolas Raskin striking early to steer the visitors into the lead, before a late red card for Lukas Fadinger bolstered that advantage.
And yet, it had not been a comfortable evening all night for the Gers, left relying on the likes of Jack Butland and Nasser Djiga to bail them out of trouble in the first half, amid sustained pressure from the hosts.
In the end, that pressure told, even with the home side having been a man light, as up stepped on-loan Celtic man, Stephen Welsh, to rescue a deserved point for Motherwell, much to the misery of both the away support and the man in the visiting dugout.
It must be said that Rohl can only have himself to blame for what unfolded at Fir Park, with his bold selection calls having no doubt backfired.
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There’s been momentum building for the Ibrox side in recent weeks, with the Gers banishing a few demons following Sunday’s thumping 8-0 win over Queen’s Park.
That remarkable victory saw Ryan Naderi get off the mark for the Light Blues, as too did Tochi Chukwuani, with even disappointing summer signing, Oliver Antman, having begun to find his groove on the flanks.
Frustratingly, however, that all appeared to go out the window on Wednesday evening, with eyebrows raised as Rohl opted to leave three of his four January arrivals on the bench this time around.
Those who did get the nod simply didn’t take their chance on the whole, with the returning John Souttar having no doubt been culpable for Welsh’s late effort, failing to engage with his centre-back counterpart in that defining late moment of the match.
The experienced Scotsman should well have done better to block that goal-bound strike, having largely been overshadowed for much of the night by the man alongside him, with Djiga impressively winning 100% of his total duels.
Elsewhere, there will no doubt be frustration at the decision not to call upon either Antman or Andreas Skov Olsen, all while Djeidi Gassama toiled on the right flank, with the young Frenchman registering a measly 21 touches.
That minimal impact was mirrored by those alongside the 22-year-old, with it surely heading toward last-chance saloon time for far too many of Rohl’s current crop.
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The more you ponder on Rohl’s selection calls, the more the mind boggles, with the German halting the momentum and feel-good factor that had been maintained over the weekend.
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Most notably, Sunday’s victory had seen both Bojan Miovski and new man Naderi get on the scoresheet, with there a chance for the deadline day arrival, in particular, to build up his game time with another start on Wednesday.
Bizarrely, Rohl instead opted to thrust the returning Youssef Chermiti back into the fray as the sole number nine, even with the club’s record signing having scored just four goals all season.
That tally should well have been bolstered early on at Fir Park, although Chermiti had two bites of the cherry and still couldn’t convert, firing his initial close-range effort straight at opposition ‘keeper, Calum Ward.
Those are the types of chances that a side chasing the title simply need to take, with such profligacy ultimately coming back to bite the Gers as Welsh struck at the death.
Souttar might’ve been culpable in that moment, but the finger needs to be pointed elsewhere, with Chermiti and co off the boil all night.
As his meagre goal tally this season has highlighted, Chermiti just isn’t a man in form right now, making it all the more bizarre that Rohl overlooked the likes of Naderi and Miovski, two men with ten apiece across all competitions this season.
It’s not as if Chermiti offered much with his overall play either, having lost the ball 12 times from just 25 touches – a rate of almost once every two touches.
|
Chermiti vs Maswanhise – Match stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Chermiti |
Maswanhise |
|
Minutes |
86 |
90 |
|
Touches |
25 |
22 |
|
Pass rate |
50% |
63% |
|
Ball lost |
12 |
9 |
|
Dribbles |
0 |
0 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
0 |
|
Shots |
4 |
2 |
|
Big chances missed |
1 |
0 |
|
Carries |
2 |
8 |
|
Total duels won |
9/21 |
1/9 |
Errant in possession and such a minimal threat in front of goal, the 22-year-old simply can’t be relied upon in this title charge, having also registered a dismal pass accuracy rate of just 50%.
To have chased a talent like Naderi right up until the deadline, only to then persist with Chermiti in such a crucial fixture truly is an odd call, even if the German had picked up a minor issue at the weekend, with Rohl hopefully set to learn from his error ahead of Sunday’s top of the table clash.
The ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss, to his credit, has hardly put a foot wrong this season, although his first major mistake couldn’t have come at a worse time.
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