Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has been taking an unnecessary risk during the opening weeks of the 2021/22 season.
He has been rotating his goalkeepers in a way that’s very uncommon at big clubs.
Often, a no.1 keeper is designated and will then play all league and European matches, while his backup may get minutes in domestic cup competitions.
So far this season, though, Allan McGregor and Jon McLaughlin have shared playing time equally, with the former starting both legs of the Champions League third qualifying round tie against Malmo and the latter appearing in both Premiership fixtures.
It seems Gerrard feels McLaughlin is deserving of more action after spending most of last season on the bench and that is understandable to an extent, given the 33-year-old’s superb record since joining the club last summer.
However, there’s a reason that this practice is uncommon.
Consistency is key to a strong defence and rotating keepers is an unnecessary complication.
Each keeper has a different style of communicating to defenders and the lack of consistency there could be a factor in the general sense of uneasiness that currently surrounds the Gers’ back four.
McGregor may be 39, but after a decent summer break, he simply doesn’t need to be rested every other game.
Gerrard spoke of how delighted he was that the veteran signed up for another season but he must now start giving him a run in the side.
Clearly, it’s not just defenders that are affected by the chopping and changing, either. Goalkeepers aren’t robots and even someone as experienced as McGregor could struggle if deprived of rhythm.
There have been no goalkeeping howlers so far but McGregor did look unsettled at times on Tuesday night, with his handling of the ball outside the area in the first half a prime example.
Gerrard has been criticised for rotating at centre-back, but the approach between the sticks is also something that needs to be abandoned.
It’s still early days but the Gers are in a rut and there can be no room for sentimentality when it comes to selection.
In positive news for Rangers fans, a key player looks ready to return to action after posting an exciting clip from training on Wednesday.
