A look at the ratings I felt the players deserved from the defeat on Saturday.
WES FODERINGHAM – 6
Foderingham made some good saves throughout the match. However, poor distribution was a real marker of his performance on Saturday. It made it more difficult for Rangers to get up the park, especially in the first half. He’s normally much more accurate with his longer goalkicks, so it’s possible nerves or adrenaline were playing a part.
JAMES TAVERNIER – 6
A huge focus before the game was the prospect of Tavernier being ripped apart by Sinclair. The game did not turn out that way at all. Sinclair was probably Celtic’s least effective attacking player on the day, and Tavernier done ok given the amount of pressure Rangers were put under. He got forward a few times and put in some decent crosses. Unfortunately, those were defended will for the most part. His cross which just evaded Morelos in the first half was unlucky not to give him yet another assist.
FABIO CARDOSO – 5
Cardoso was put under more pressure than he’s been in any game since signing for Rangers, and didn’t struggle too much. He wasn’t great, and certainly could have done better with the first goal, but didn’t panic at any point. With very few outlets available when he got on the ball, he still tried to find the pass.
There’s a lot of focus on Cardoso as he was deemed an exciting signing. Many are seeing his errors over anything he does well, which will happen to every player at some point. Had he been as poor as most suggest, we’d have lost far more than two goals. This is the sort of game you hope he learns from.
ROSS McCRORIE – 7
McCrorie was excellent in the first half. Griffiths was clearly looking to isolate him and put him under pressure, and McCrorie dealt with him very well. One moment in particular, where he chased back, won a slide tackle and came away with the ball, brought a real cheer from the fans.
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In the second half, as we never really got going, he was exposed for the second goal. His performance overall though was good given it was his first competitive start. Caixinha described him as a future Rangers and Scotland centre half. If this start is anything to go by, Pedro will be spot on.
LEE HODSON – 4
Hodson was given an absolute roasting by Roberts in the first half. There were examples where he was left a little exposed, but he couldn’t handle the winger regardless of what he tried. In an attacking sense, you could count on one hand how often he got forward to offer an outlet. His season has been stop-start in terms of appearances, and his confidence is clearly low. The first 20 minutes of the game must have absolutely broken him.
I don’t know if Declan John would have done any better defensively, but he certainly would have been more composed in an attacking sense.
DANIEL CANDEIAS – 5
Candeias put in a real shift, but never really hurt Celtic in an attacking sense. His set pieces were poor, and he didn’t get in any real crosses of note. He never once shirked his defensive duties, and deserves praise for that, but it was his quietest game since signing for us.
RYAN JACK – 6
In the first 20 minutes, I felt Jack was struggling with the movement of Rogic. He seemed to grow into the match, though, and contributed to a better end to that half from the team. Over the piece, the lack of outlets and ability to keep possession meant his game was mainly about defensive duties and challenges. Didn’t win his battle as such, but gave almost as good as he got.
GRAHAM DORRANS – 6
I suspect I have a different view on the performance of Dorrans from most (not claiming to be somehow more insightful, to be clear). The level of expectation on him means that an average performance is deemed poor. Much like Jack, the game was a battle for him as we couldn’t get secure possession often. Had a couple of long shots in the first half which were wayward, and tried to get on the ball as often as possible. I thought he was ok overall, against a settled midfield full of ability.
JOSH WINDASS – 5
Windass was fouled by Lustig very early, which should have led to a booking. The referee let that go, though, and that pretty much summed up the game for Josh. He wasn’t able to get into the game in the attacking sense as he was consistently chasing back, and with Hodson struggling to get forward, support was fleeting on that wing. He was finally getting a couple of runs in behind in the second half, but was subbed in an attempt to chase the game.
CARLOS PENA – 5
I felt Pena done fine for what he was asked to do. He hassled well, fought to hold up the ball, and was involved in any good play we had in the first half. Made a few good passes to start counter attacks, but the nature of the game meant all of our attacking players were poor by their standards. Pena has shown some decent signs in his two starts, and isn’t scared of the physical side of the game. We have to hope he’ll continue to improve with more games.
ALFREDO MORELOS – 6
Yes, he was offside a lot in the first half. And he never really had many chances. But he worked very hard, and was unlucky not to score in the second half. He won headers against a big defence, and they clearly saw him as our threat. He took a few heavy challenges and won free kicks. There weren’t a load of touches, but linked up well when he did get the ball. He was our only real attacking threat at any time.
KENNY MILLER – 3
We were chasing the game when Miller came on, and in truth he made no real impact. He hasn’t started the season well, and whilst many question the decision not to start him, it’s fair to say he hasn’t justified the place in the first XI this season.
EDUARDO HERRERA – 3
Came on far too late to make any sort of impact when we were 2-0 down. The game was done by then, and he barely got a touch.
AARON NEMANE – 2
Got a few minutes at the end of the game, and had maybe one touch.
What were your ratings on the day? Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your opinions!