Laudrup highlights “biggest issue” for Beale as he criticises Gers gaffer

If Michael Beale could rewind to Sunday morning, I’d wager that he would make a change or two to his starting line-up, especially in midfield.

One name in particular was a glaring ommision with Nico Raskin having to make do with a place on the bench despite impressing in every appearance so far for Rangers, John Lundstram coming back in despite missing the last two games through injury – the manager’s comments about match fitness and minutes in the legs not really making much sense in this instance.

It was a decision that Brian Laudrup also thought was key to the destination of the league cup and, writing in his Daily Mail column, via The Rangers Review, the Gers legend picked out Raskin as a player who could have been a difference maker at both ends of the park:

“Midfield was the biggest issue for Rangers. In my mind, one lesson is that the energy and positivity of new signings Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell must be front and centre for the remainder of this season. In the case of Raskin, in particular, I would have liked to have seen him involved much earlier against Celtic.

“I really felt he had the skillset to cause Ange Postecoglou’s side some problems and said so last week. I like him a lot. That opinion hasn’t changed after the way Sunday panned out. If anything, Raskin and Cantwell now appear even more important to the way ahead under Beale.

“Leaving Hampden, I had this nagging feeling that if something had changed at half-time, with fresher legs from these newer players who don’t have a history of losing Old Firm games, then perhaps we might have seen more from Rangers. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.”

Laudrup goes on to say that he understood the logic of picking the same team that played well against Celtic at Ibrox and against Hearts at Tynecastle, as did I on Sunday, however, we still only drew in the derby and Hearts played right into our hands with an ultra-attacking midfield line-up. The tactics Beale employed at Hampden were also different to these two games.

It doesn’t even take hindsight to appreciate that Laudrup is right, Rangers fans rarely agree on anything but I’ve not seen anyone who didn’t want Raskin, in particular, to start. Beale has learned the harshest of lessons, it doesn’t matter how long you go unbeaten for if you get it wrong in the games that matter.