Mark Warburton’s Glasgow Rangers side have looked vulnerable defending from dead ball situations.
Philippe Senderos, during his time with Aston Villa
Rangers hero Derek Johnstone has told the Evening Times that he believes that summer signing Philippe Senderos could be the addition that sees the Gers sort out their problems defending set-pieces.
The Light Blues have arguably looked most vulnerable when a free-kick or corner has been sent into their box, most notably in the Scottish Cup final where set-pieces saw their 2-1 lead quickly turn into a 3-2 defeat.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton
But with Mark Warburton’s men winning the Scottish Championship with just five defensive options to pick from for practically the entirety of the campaign, there was seemingly little he could do with the personnel to improve their fortunes.
However, over the summer, the Gers have added the likes of Clint Hill and Senderos to provide them with more of a presence at the back, and Johnstone is confident that the latter will be influential in helping the club become much stronger defending dead ball situations.
“People have got to take responsibility and go and attack the ball. For me, that comes down to your two centre-backs who are normally the two tallest players in your team,” he told the Evening Times.
“His experience will be important in that regard to get talking to people and get them marking, and he could be something that Rangers haven’t had for a long time in the side – a bully.
“Someone has to be in there bullying players and not being frightened to shout at them so that they do their job, you need a presence, and hopefully with Senderos’ experience and height, he can tick those boxes for Mark Warburton.”
While David Weir will surely be working with the side on the training ground on what they need to be doing, they perhaps have needed someone on the pitch who can remind each player of their roles.
Having spent much of his career in the Premier League, the 31-year-old brings a wealth of experience with him to Ibrox, which will include coming up against some of the best exponents of set-pieces the game has to offer.
And if that knowledge can rub off on his new teammates, then it may not be long before their problem defending corners and free-kicks is an issue that they have largely overcome.
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