During the second half of Rangers fine win against St Johnstone, there was a moment of angst as Borna Barisic walked off to be replaced by Nathan Patterson.
With the Croat in fine form, it was a scare that Rangers could have done without however those fears have been allayed with input direct from the manager.
Reporting from the post-match press conference, David Edgar of Heart and Hand podcast relayed the following info:
Manager says Borna was feeling ill prematch so was taken off as a precaution. No injury. 💙
— Heart & Hand Podcast (@ibroxrocks) December 15, 2021
Balance
Music to the ears of all Rangers supporters who can now all look forward to the next game on Saturday against Dundee United.
Both Barisic and James Tavernier are thriving in their more balanced roles under Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Yes, there is a deeper starting position, but not necessarily more defending – rather a case of a different strategy which is reaping fine rewards for the champions just now.
Against St Johnstone, both full backs got into attacking positions on several occasions, it just has a different element compared to the setup under Steven Gerrard.
With a couple of days rest, hopefully Barisic can retain his place on Saturday and he will be given as much time as possible to be deemed fit to play. If not, Nathan Patterson is ready and waiting to step in and contribute.