Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl was understandably unhappy with how his team played in the 0-0 draw with Falkirk at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.
In his post-match press conference, as relayed by the Heart & Hand podcast, the German boss cited decision making as one of the key reasons why his side failed to claim all three points.
Rohl also noted that too many of the players opted to turn back and slow the game down at times, which is why Max Aarons should be dropped from the starting line-up in the coming games.
Why Rangers should stop playing Max Aarons at left-back
The Bournemouth loanee did not put in a terrible performance against Falkirk at left-back, as he won six of his seven duels and both of his attempted tackles, per Sofascore.
However, Rangers will always have a problem when Aarons plays at left-back because he is a right-footed player who, naturally, wants to cut back onto his right foot where possible, which can slow down attacks and affect the fluidity of the team.
This heavily contributes to the problem that Rohl spoke about with too many players turning back to play negative passes, because he is not a left-footed full-back who can open up and bomb on down the flank.
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Journalist Jonny McFarlane said at half-time that the “issue down left flank is glaring”, but it took until the 57th minute for Rohl to take Aarons off for Brentford loanee Jayden Meghoma.
That may be because the English youngster has been even worse than Aarons, despite being a natural left-back, and he should be replaced in January.
Why Rangers need to replace Meghoma in January
In his aforementioned comments, Rohl mentioned that he already has an idea of what he needs in the January transfer window, and a new left-back should be on the agenda.
In the summer, Kevin Thelwell sanctioned the sales of Ridvan Yilmaz and Jefte whilst only signing Meghoma as a natural left-back option, after he had played just 12 times on loan at Preston in the Championship last season as a teenager.
It was a big ask for the Brentford youngster to step in at Ibrox as the first and only choice natural left-back with his inexperience in the game, and his performances have looked like those of a player who is still learning and developing in senior football.
Minutes
57
33
Key passes
1
0
Shots
0
0
Crosses completed
1
0
Dribbles completed
2
0
Pass accuracy
84%
78%
Duels won
6/7
2/3
As you can see in the table above, Aarons, despite being right-footed, offered more to the team on the ball in his time on the pitch than Meghoma, as a natural left-footer, did after he came on in the second half.
On top of being even worse than Aarons in possession against Falkirk, the 19-year-old full-back’s overall defensive work this season has left a bit to be desired, as he has lost 77% of his aerial duels in the Premiership, per Sofascore.
His defending was also called into question against Brann in the Europa League in Rohl’s first game in charge, as Ally McCoist dubbed his failure to mark Jacob Sorensen from a set-piece as “remarkable” in that 3-0 loss.
Overall, Meghoma has failed to prove that he can be relied upon to start week-in-week-out for the Gers domestically or in Europe, which is why Rohl must replace him when the January transfer window opens for business by recruiting a senior and experienced left-back.
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Bringing a natural left-back who can provide reliable performances for Rangers would allow Meghoma to learn his trade as a back-up, whilst it would also allow Aarons to compete with James Tavernier for a starting berth in his natural role at right-back.