Steven Gerrard has opened up on Rangers’ recent disciplinary improvements, as quoted by the Scotsman.
Last season, the Gers consistently made hard work of fixtures, by finishing without a full complement of players.
Sent off five times (one rescinded), Alfredo Morelos was the main, but not the only culprit, as overexuberance cost the team on too many occasions.
The manager says the straw that broke the camel’s back was the 2-1 defeat at Celtic Park in March. In that game, El Bufalo was dismissed in the first half, Andy Halliday was red-carded after the final whistle and Ryan Kent received a retrospective ban for lashing out at Scott Brown.
Rangers boss Gerrard details when he knew squad needed a rocket
“It wasn’t just that red card [for Alfredo] but it was about us as a group,” admitted Gerrard, as quoted by the Scotsman. “There was Ryan’s incident as well and it was a case of enough’s enough.”
“I think we lost control too many times last year. It wasn’t acceptable and it was my responsibility to address it and improve that as a group. That’s what we strive to do and the players are buying into it.
“That’s not to say we will be perfect…But we needed to show a vast improvement to last season over discipline.”
Verdict
It certainly looks like the costly suspensions of last season have brought about a change in approach.
Rangers are 20 games into their 2019/20 campaign and Jordan Jones is the only player to have received his marching orders. His senseless challenge against Celtic is a blot on what is otherwise an impressive disciplinary record.
Even Morelos, who along with his reds, picked up a whopping 18 yellow cards last season, only has four cautions to his name so far [Soccerbase].
Let’s hope this is a permanent change for the better, as keeping key players available for selection will be key to a successful title challenge.
