Rangers were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Aberdeen on Tuesday night.
Willie Miller has been left utterly perplexed at Steven Gerrard’s decision to bring on two strikers during Rangers’ 2-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final replay defeat to Aberdeen on Tuesday night.
Former Dons defender Miller claimed that the Gers ‘lost it’ towards the end and he ‘couldn’t understand’ why they brought on Jermain Defoe and Kyle Lafferty in the second half because it ‘threw their whole shape’.
Derek McIness’ men were resolute in defence and efficient in attack, with Niall McGinn firing his team in front after just three minutes before Connor McLennan doubled his side’s lead midway through the second half.
Nonetheless, Miller was left baffled by Gerrard’s substitutions during the Dons defeat as he explained why it turned out to be problematic for the Glasgow club.
“Towards the end, Rangers lost it,” Miller told BBC Sport. “For me, throwing on the two strikers just threw their whole shape and I couldn’t understand why they did it. The only reason you are putting these attackers on so they can score goals. But somebody has got to create the chances for them.
“Rangers ended up with players in wide areas that weren’t putting crosses in or they were going back to front and I thought they lost it when they made the two subs. I just thought Aberdeen were magnificent.”
Four minutes after the away team scored their second goal of the game, Gerrard opted to bring on Kyle Lafferty for winger Daniel Candeias, while Scott Arfield made way for Jermain Defoe.
The attacking changes didn’t work as Rangers fell to a costly defeat and their hope of winning a trophy in Gerrard’s first season in charge are all but over.
Old Firm rivals Celtic hold an eight-point lead in the Premiership, and even though there are two more games to go against their neighbours, it is a very big ask for Gerrard and his players to overturn that cushion Neil Lennon’s men hold.
Rangers will now turn their attention to the league and getting back to winning ways when they host Kilmarnock on Saturday afternoon at Ibrox.
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