Ahead of Rangers’ clash with St Johnstone today, plenty of Bears were sceptical of the starting XI.
Their doubts were proven correct by the scoreline.
A dull, disappointing 0-0 draw.
The most notable changes were made in the Rangers midfield.
Steven Davis and Glen Kamara came in, with the latter making his debut.
That meant there was no place in the starting XI for either Ryan Jack or Scott Arfield.
Furthermore, neither player was even named in the squad.
That was a massive gamble. They have been two of Rangers’ most consistent performers so far this season.
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Jack provides an edge in the middle and Arfield offers the biggest goal threat of all Rangers’ central players.
Their absence showed – badly.
No spark, no drive forward and Defoe cut an increasingly isolated figure up top.
Why were they left out?
If either player was suffering from a knock, it would have been a recent development.
Gerrard gave a comprehensive injury update during Friday morning’s press conference and neither were mentioned as doubts.
The players had an extra few days off after the Kilmarnock game and benefitted from the lack of a midweek fixture.
Therefore, resting either player against St Johnstone seems unnecessary.
Whatever the rationale, it could be extremely costly.
The Gers were already playing catch up and now, more than ever, it’s out of their hands.
If Kilmarnock can’t pull off something special against Celtic tomorrow, the chances of 55 now look bleak.
