The Rangers manager appears unwilling to give the Ibrox defender a regular run in his team.
Rangers defender Borna Barisic was again an unused substitute against Livingston at Ibrox on Saturday.
It’s not an irregular occurrence for the Croatian international.
In fact it’s the seventh time this season he’s been fit enough to be named in a match squad and not been used. That’s more than the five appearances he’s managed to make this term.
It’s rather odd considering Steven Gerrard isn’t exactly blessed for options in the position.
Apparently cycling between Andy Halliday, Jon Flanagan and Barisic, the Gers boss can’t seem to be able to string together good performances from any of them.
However, Barisic has the most long-term promise in the position.
Good enough for others
The situation surrounding the 26-year-old took another curious turn during the international break after he played 180 minutes for a talented Croatia side in Euro 2020 qualifying.
The player, who signed for a reported £2.2m fee last summer (BBC), is clearly a competent player at that level or wouldn’t keep being selected by manager Zlatko Dalic.
Surely the player has enough ability to convince Gerrard he’s worthy of more chances?
Faith can be rewarded
There’s no sense in pretending that Barasic has produced exceptional performances when he has been given a chance. In many appearances he’s been poor.
We also know that Gerrard can be ruthless with his team selections, believing poor displays should see players drop out of the Rangers team.
However, in Barisic’s case a bit of faith could be rewarded. He remains the best option that the Gers have at left-back and there is no prospect of strengthening the position until January at least.
By giving him the confidence of a regular spot in the team, for a few weeks or beyond a month, he could have the platform to flourish and solve Gerrard’s left-back problem.
The current experiments and methods of the Ibrox boss aren’t paying off. It’s now time to commit to a specialist option.
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