Rangers’ defence is going to have a chance to right some wrongs tomorrow when they face Hearts’ Uche Ikpeazu.
Should the Jambos star be available for the match, which is looking likely, he’ll provide a real problem for the Gers back-line. The Hearts striker has been a revelation this season, but not in terms of goals.
Instead, it’s his build-up play and power that’s getting Gorgie on-side with his performances. He’ll be looking to bring all of his power with him to Ibrox tomorrow in a bid to terrorise Nikola Katic and Connor Goldson. Or even Joe Worrall if Steven Gerrard feels like putting the result in jepoardy.
In all seriousness, however, this should be a concern for Gers fans. There simply has to be an improvement with how Rangers handle Ikpeazu to how they handled Livingston’s Dolly Menga last week.
Menga scored the winner for Livi, and generally bossed Worrall and Goldson around. It was a shambolic performance from Rangers’ back-line, and a more ambitious side could’ve beaten Gers by more.
Ikpeazu has that same powerful hold-up nature to his game. He’ll look to barge into the Rangers defence and force them into errors. It’ll be down to him whether the likes of Demetri Mitchell and Steven Naismith come into play.
How Rangers performed as a collective unit on Sunday was bad enough. Particularly the defensive side of Gerrard’s men was a real concern, however.
Ikpeazu was on fire with his overall displays, but an injury set him back slightly. Ibrox could be his first match for Hearts in several weeks, so he may not be as sharp as normal.
It shouldn’t really matter, however. The Rangers defence need to prove to supporters that last weekend’s weak display was a one-off. If it’s anything more then there’s plenty to worry about heading into the winter period.
Menga should be a wake-up call to the defence. If it isn’t, and tomorrow’s centre-backs play as poorly as Worrall and Goldson against Livi, it’ll prove Rangers can be got at.
That’s simply not the kind of encouragement Rangers want to be giving other sides in Scotland. Tomorrow will be a huge test for everyone on the pitch, but particular focus will be on this intriguing battle between the Gers defence and Ikpeazu.
