One of the key reasons that Rangers won the league under Steven Gerrard was how frugal the defence was.
Even the current misfiring squad would have a chance given that only 13 goals were conceded throughout a league campaign that will live long in the memory of the Ibrox faithful.
As a former centre-half himself, Philippe Clement should know what a good one looks like and yet Rangers are weaker now than when he took over.
John Souttar becoming more influential for Rangers
Leon Balogun is still at the club but not getting any younger, and Filip Helander never reached the same heights again after 2020/21.
When he first signed, John Souttar looked like a squad option and a back-up to the more experienced defenders in front of him, however, the manager has backed him to become the main man:
“I would not put him at the same level of Connor yet. Not yet. He’s more demanding towards others. He’s more coaching, that’s true,” said Clement of Souttar’s form before the Scotland international strolled the 90 minutes against Kilmarnock.
“But he still for me has steps to take in that way. He knows, working on that. But evolution is very positive because before it was almost not the case and he was only focused on himself and what to do.
“So that’s a big turnaround for a player. You have some people who have this naturally, who do that already in academy, in youth games. John is not that kind of character, but he took really good steps and he’s becoming much more influential in the dressing room but also on the pitch.”
The player Rangers need to sign to partner Souttar
It’s an almost identical situation to when Connor Goldson was Rangers first choice.
A priority signing must be a left-sided centre-half who is resilient, does the basics well and can play out from the back.
Are Rangers any better off having let Ben Davies join Birmingham City?
With Robin Propper’s struggles and Balogun’s fitness issues, nobody could say yes with any real confidence.
Having missed out on Scott McKenna, Rangers now need to sign a carbon copy so that Souttar can concentrate on his own job and Clement can get a bit of stability in his defence.
As his 8/10 display against Kilmarnock proved, if only Balogun was 10 years younger.
