Rangers head coach Russell Martin admitted his frustration after Thursday night’s 2-1 defeat to Sturm Graz in the UEFA Europa League, insisting his side must find the mentality to defend better if they are to turn a corner this season.
The Gers fell behind early in Austria before producing a much-improved second-half performance, creating a string of chances but ultimately coming away empty-handed.
“We can’t start a game like that again,” Martin said. “It’s not tactical, it’s not technical – it’s about fight, running, competing.
“For the first half an hour, we gave them a head start because we didn’t do the basics. That is the most frustrating part.”
While the under fire boss acknowledged his side had spells of dominance, he lamented Rangers’ inability to turn possession and pressure into goals: “In the second half we were by far the better team, away from home in Europe, with so many chances. But you can’t come away from a game like that with just one goal. It’s not enough,” he added.
Defensive lapses remain the recurring theme. Martin highlighted set pieces as a particular sore point, with Rangers conceding from another throw-in situation despite hours of work on the training ground, he said: “We’ve improved so much in that area recently, but it’s pointless if you don’t have the mentality to defend your own goal. That’s where we are hurting ourselves.”
Looking ahead, Martin knows the pressure is on as his side return to domestic action away at Falkirk on Sunday. The Gers are chasing a third straight Premiership win, but also desperately need to end a shocking run of 22 away matches without a clean sheet, equalling a record in Austria that has stood since the late 1800’s
Looking ahead Martin said: “The positive is how threatening we’ve looked going forward in recent games. But we have to show more for it, and we have to find the resilience at the other end. That’s the challenge now, starting Sunday.”
Rangers head to Falkirk with questions over their defensive resolve still looming large. For Martin, the next 90 minutes may prove every bit as important for confidence and credibility as they are for points.