Saturday at Ibrox will see Rangers looking to get back to winning ways with a match against fifth-placed Kilmarnock. Both teams will have a point to prove after disappointing results in their last retrospective matches.
Here are the 5 storylines to follow vs Kilmarnock.
1-STICK OR TWIST ON FORMATION?
Will the Rangers manager feel the need to shake things up in the wake and manner of the Old Firm defeat? Sticking with the same formation that has failed to deliver a positive outcome at home so many times now risks the gaffer being branded one dimensional in his set up at times.
Will he elect to go with two up top or bring in Cummings in place of Morelos after his misses in Sunday’s match?
One other option would be to go narrow and give us the extra man in the middle of the park.
2-CAN WE WIN AT HOME?
The form at home this season has been nothing short of abysmal. It is simply not acceptable for a club of our stature and spending power.
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It is the type of form that will no doubt be held against Murty by his detractors, rightly so in my view. Ibrox has to become a fortress again.
The blueprint in which teams have played and set up against us at home is there for all to see, the responsibility now rests with the staff and players to come up with the performance levels required to gain victory.
The tempo and overall quality in the final ball have lacked any sort of penetration in all of our home defeats. We have failed to move the ball fast enough with any real conviction, allowing sides to get men back behind the ball and limit the space in behind.
3-THREE SUBS MAYBE?
I have spoken about a number of past instances where I feel Murty has failed to make any sort influence from the sideline, either waiting too long to make a change, just throwing on like for like, or it being a case of too little too late. This must change if Murty holds any ambition of landing the job in the long term.
Sunday was just another glaring example where Murty failed to even roll the dice by using all the allotted substitutes available to us. I would have thrown Kenny Miller on at the very least, he is way past his prime but his running and presence is something teams may still fear and would offer us a different dimension.
4-HOW WILL MORELOS RESPOND?
I like and rate Alfredo Morelos, his all-around play or work rate is something that cannot come under any sort of scrutiny, his misses in big games can, unfortunately.
Rangers players’ careers are defined by what they do in big games, it is simply the nature of the beast, just ask the opposite striker on Saturday, Kris Boyd.
The most reassuring and comforting fact Morelos can take is that big games come every week when playing for Rangers, not to mention another Celtic game not far around the corner. He has to take his chances in big matches. Hopefully last week will serve to spur the player on, making him even more determined in the remainder of the season.
I’m backing him to bounce back and grab a couple of goals in the match, good strikers always come back for more.
5-CAN WE SORT OUT OUR DEFENSIVE FRAILTIES
This is not just the defenders I am speaking about, I am talking about how we defend as a team.
The number of cheap goals we have given away time after time this season needs to be eradicated if we are to hold any hope if ending this season with silverware.
Teams are finding it easy to play through us at stages of games and at corners and set pieces we look vulnerable, the sheer volume of corners we have conceded is something that causes me concern.
Get in touch if you agree or not.
@steven_harrigan @rangersnewsuk