Rangers flop who's "not helped his team" is as big a problem as Martin
da dobrowin： Glasgow Rangers have decided that they will not wield their axe to part ways with Russell Martin this early into his tenure after the 2-0 defeat to Hearts on Saturday.
da betsson： A brace from Lawrence Shankland condemned the Light Blues to their first loss in the Scottish Premiership this season, after they had drawn their first four matches.
RangersReview journalist Chris Jack has reported that the manager has the support of the board, for now, and that there are no plans to hold talks over his position at Ibrox.
Why Russell Martin is under pressure at Rangers
Four points from five matches is the worst start to a top-flight season by the Light Blues in 47 years, which is part of the reason why the head coach’s position is under pressure.
The former Southampton manager’s style of play is also yet to resonate with supporters, who have seen just three goals in five league games with the possession-heavy style.
Crashing out of the Champions League qualifiers with a 9-1 loss to Club Brugge on aggregate did little to help Martin’s relationship with the fanbase, as some supporters decided to call for him to be sacked after the 6-0 defeat in the second leg.
However, the team’s problems on the pitch this season are not solely Martin or the coaching staff’s fault. The players have to take some accountability for the performances, as Nasser Djiga has been as much of a problem as the manager.
Why Nasser Djiga has been a problem for Rangers this season
The Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee made an impressive start to life at Ibrox in the 2-0 win over Panathinaikos in the Champions League, helping his team to keep a clean sheet with four out of five duels won, per Sofascore.
Unfortunately, that performance was not a sign of things to come from the Burkina Faso international. Instead, the Premier League loanee has been too much of a liability in recent weeks.
There have been too many questionable lapses in concentration defensively. Michael Stewart criticised the defender’s failure to get back and help his teammates out defensively against Alloa.
Stewart said: “He has not helped his team out one little bit. He was lying on the ground as if he had been pole-axed, and whether it’s a foul or not, he needs to get back and help his team out. They were left short of numbers at the back, brutally exposed, and he’s on the ground rolling about.”
As you can see in the clip above, Djiga also had a nightmare in the opening minutes of the first leg against Club Brugge, as he inexplicably allowed their forward to race clear through on goal.
25/26 season
Nasser Djiga
Appearances
10
Clean sheets
3
Wins
3
Goals conceded
16
Error led to goal
1
Red cards
1
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Light Blues have conceded 16 goals in the ten matches that he has played for the club to date, which is a woeful defensive record.
His latest performance did little to change the narrative because Shankland got the run across him to score the first goal for Hearts in the match, and the Wolves loanee was substituted at half-time.
As is also the case with Martin, not every problem or defensive problem has been Djiga’s fault this season, but both the manager and the centre-back have to be accountable for the consistently poor defensive displays up to this point.