Glasgow Rangers suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Motherwell at Ibrox on the weekend in what was an uncharacteristic performance under Philippe Clement.
The Light Blues got out of jail, however, as Hearts did the club a massive favour on Sunday, recording a stunning 2-0 win over Celtic which still leaves the Gers two points clear at the summit of the Premiership table.
With nine games to go in the league, every player will need to step up and make sure this does not happen again. Against the Steelmen, there were a few poor performances from players who have looked solid in recent weeks, most notably from John Souttar, who struggled to cope with Theo Blair.
John Souttar’s game against Motherwell in numbers
The Scot had formed an excellent partnership alongside Connor Goldson at the heart of the defence, yet against Motherwell, they struggled to cope with Blair’s physicality and the regular long balls over the top.
The former Jambos defender won one of his two ground duels contested, along with losing possession 18 times, making zero tackles or interceptions, and committing one foul during the rare defeat at Ibrox.
He was at fault for the opener after just ten minutes, and it set the tone for the rest of the match, with the Light Blues never truly looking comfortable.
Following the game, Goldson came out in defence of his playing partner, saying:
Accurate passes
58
Possession lost
18
Tackles
0
Interceptions
0
Big chances missed
2
“I was disappointed on Saturday, people talking bad on the internet because he had one game where he probably made a few mistakes but we’ve all been there, I’ve been there myself, I’ve been written off plenty of times by Rangers fans.”
With a clash against Benfica coming up, however, Clement could well make a change at the back.
Leon Balogun could replace John Souttar against Benfica
The Nigerian re-signed for the club last summer on a one-year contract, adding some experience to the squad.
The veteran may have only played 14 games thus far, but when he has been on the pitch, Balogun has looked solid.
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In his 11 league matches this term, the defender has helped his side keep a clean sheet in seven of those, as well as making 1.5 tackles and interceptions per game, along with winning a staggering 8.3 total duels per game – a success rate of 70% – clearly proving how effective he is when utilised.
Benfica will be a tough opponent to crack, but unleashing Balogun in place of Souttar appears to be the most logical move, and it could give Clement some fresh legs at the heart of the defence.
The next Premiership tie is not until next weekend and perhaps this break from league action could be a blessing in disguise, especially following the poor result against Motherwell.
The Belgian will now see just how his side respond to such a disappointment when they travel to Portugal this week and gaining any sort of positive result will be seen as a major success.
There will be a few changes, but Balogun should be brought in to partner Goldson, that’s for sure.