Michael Beale’s first big test as Glasgow Rangers manager ended in bitter disappointment, suffering an agonising 2-1 League Cup final defeat at Hampden Park.
This was his first defeat since taking over the Ibrox outfit in November and despite the positives, his starting XI was bewildering, to say the least.
The 42-year-old had signed Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin during the January transfer window, yet the pair were nowhere to be seen when the line-ups were announced, having to make do with late substitute appearances.
Both John Lundstram and Glen Kamara were underwhelming as the Gers’ midfield axis, with both receiving ratings of just 4/10 from the Scotsman for their performances and Beale should be looking at unleashing Raskin from now on.
Will Nicolas Raskin now start for Rangers?
Having arrived from Standard Liege in the January transfer window following a long pursuit, Raskin looked ready to significantly bolster a stagnating Gers midfield.
The 5 foot 10 machine has played twice in the Premiership for the Ibrox side already, averaging 46.5 touches while holding an 89% pass success rate and he looks like an excellent player who could add something extra to the midfield.
The 22-year-old is equally adept going forward as he is defending and sitting deep, succeeding with 100% of his dribble attempts while winning 73% of his total duels, making 1.5 tackles, and winning back possession once per match.
Sky Sports News producer Andrew Dickson criticised Beale’s starting XI on Sunday and why Raskin missed out, saying:
“Almost back home in London. Manager got his team wrong today, if Jack’s able to feature he should have started ahead of Lundstram and why Raskin was on the bench after being a standout at Livi was beyond me. Morelos subbed when he was too was baffling. Lessons to learn for sure.”
Landing Raskin in January was a coup, especially considering Barcelona were seemingly interested in luring the Belgian to LaLiga in January, and having him on the bench for the most important match of the season is a decision that will haunt Beale.
There is no doubt he has to be a regular in the starting XI from now until the end of the campaign and Beale will be able to build a team around him ahead of 2023/2024, while putting the Hampden debacle from the weekend firmly in the past.
