Jon Flanagan’s poor displays over the last week or so have to be a concern.
We’ve been one of his best supporters, but recently he’s not been looking to sharp. His last two performances against Spartak Moscow and Aberdeen have both been unconvincing to say the least.
Against Spartak, so many of his passes were going astray. It often led to Rangers losing possession, and he seems to be suffering from a lack of confidence in general.
Last night, Gary Mackay-Steven was darting past him far too easily, and he struggled for large spells. The tempo of the Betfred Cup semi-final looked too much for Flanagan, which is odd considering he’s been impressive this season all-round.
Once more, his passes against the Dons were also poor. He hasn’t been particularly accurate with them, and he’s inviting needless pressure onto the defence with some of his actions.
He was the clear choice to start against Aberdeen yesterday. With Borna Barisic injured and Lee Wallace nowhere near the team, Flanagan deserved his spot. Despite not convincing against Spartak, he’s done enough good in a Rangers jersey to deserve his chance.
A big challenge
His problem now is the fact that he has a Croatian international breathing down his neck for his spot back. When Borna Barisic returns, it doesn’t look as though Flanagan will be in a position to stop him.
The former Liverpool youth star is one of the main reasons Rangers reached Europe. He participated in many of Rangers’ qualification games, and has been so reliable this season.
His performances over the last week have been nowhere near the standard required, however.
If Barisic is injured for Wednesday, then Flanagan will come into the side once again. Kilmarnock will be the visitors to Ibrox, and that will see him up against Rory McKenzie most likely. Flanagan has to be careful he doesn’t make the same mistakes on Wednesday that he has over the last week.
It could just be a temporary dip in form, but Flanagan needs to pick up his performances. A poor result on Wednesday night is unthinkable for Rangers fans, and the defender has to get his head straight.
Barisic is likely to get his spot back when fit at this point, but in the meantime, Flanagan has to be more composed than he has been against Spartak and Aberdeen.
