Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl is looking to do something tonight that Russell Martin did not achieve in his time at the club: back-to-back wins in the Scottish Premiership.
The former Gers boss only won five of his 17 games in charge of the Ibrox giants, and he only won one match in the league before his dismissal earlier this month.
Rohl arrived to replace him in the dugout at Ibrox and won his first Premiership game in charge of the club at the weekend, beating Kilmarnock 3-1 in front of the home support.
The Gers face Hibernian away from home in the Premiership this evening, and the German boss must ruthlessly ditch Thelo Aasgaard from the starting line-up.
Why Thelo Aasgaard should be dropped
The Norway international should be dropped from the XI against Hibs tonight because his performance against Kilmarnock last time out left a lot to be desired.
Aasgaard, per Sofascore, came off the pitch in the 81st minute after failing to register a single shot on goal or create any chances for the team at the top end of the pitch, which shows that he was ineffective as an attacking force.
Kilmarnock
Danny Rohl
0 + 0
Dundee United
Stevie Smith
1 + 4
Falkirk
Russell Martin
0 + 0
Livingston
Russell Martin
0 + 0
Hearts
Russell Martin
0 + 1
Celtic
Russell Martin
0 + 0
St Mirren
Russell Martin
0 + 0
As you can see in the table above, the former Luton man’s only impressive attacking outing in the Premiership came during Stevie Smith’s match as interim manager.
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The English-born playmaker has not proven that he can be relied upon, as evidenced by his dismal league form, which is why he should be dropped for a tricky away game against Hibernian, who are third in the league.
The Rangers star Rohl should replace Aasgaard with
Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Aasgaard from the team in order to bring hard-working central midfielder Connor Barron into the middle of the park alongside Mohamed Diomande and Nicolas Raskin.
The box-to-box star could help to make Rangers solid and difficult to beat, rather than having a natural attacking player like Aasgaard in there, which could help them to record back-to-back wins in the league.
Prior to Martin’s arrival in the summer, pundit Andy Haliday claimed that Barron “was Rangers’ best player for the first few months of the season” in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that he is capable of outstanding performances for the Light Blues.
Appearances
28
7
Pass accuracy
90%
86%
Passes made per game
40.8
23.4
Key passes per game
0.8
0.1
Tackles per game
2.2
1.7
Interceptions per game
0.6
0.3
Ball recoveries per game
3.8
3.0
As you can see in the table above, the Scotland international’s performance levels in and out of possession were much higher before Martin arrived at Ibrox earlier this year.
Barron was a defensive force, averaging 6.8 tackles, interceptions, and recoveries per game, for Rangers in the Premiership last season after his move from Aberdeen, buzzing around the pitch to disrupt the opposition and win possession back for his side.
Rohl should be looking to unlock his talent, which was seemingly hidden by Martin’s tactics, by unleashing him in midfield against Hibernian ahead of Aasgaard this evening, as he could provide the bite and drive that they may need to come away with all three points in a difficult away match.
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Rohl has made it clear that he is not wedded to one style of play or system, which is why taking a creative midfielder like Aasgaard out for a pitbull like Barron could make sense for a tougher match away from home, as it is a pragmatic move.