Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl will be looking for more of the same from his team when they come up against Hibernian at Easter Road in the Scottish Premiership this evening.
The German boss was serenaded by the Ibrox support last time out when his side beat Kilmarnock 3-1 in his first league match in charge of the Scottish giants.
A devastating 3-0 loss to Brann in the Europa League just days after his arrival last week would have been a real eye-opener for the former Sheffield Wednesday boss, who has walked into a difficult situation.
Russell Martin only won five of his 17 games in charge of the club, conceding 24 goals in that time, and Rohl is tasked with turning the club’s fortunes around, months before any transfer window is available to make changes to the squad.
The German head coach has to work with what is currently available to him, which means that he will have to make ruthless calls for team selections.
For example, he should ruthlessly remove Bojan Miovski from the starting line-up for tonight’s trip to Hibernian after he struggled last time out.
Why Bojan Miovski should be dropped
The Light Blues signed the 26-year-old centre-forward from Girona during the summer transfer window, possibly with the hope that he would carry his form for Aberdeen in Scotland over to his time at Ibrox.
Miovski, as shown in the graphic above, enjoyed a prolific time with the Dons in his two years there, proving that he can score goals on a consistent basis, even against the top teams, like Celtic and Rangers.
Unfortunately, though, the left-footed number nine has only scored one goal in six appearances in the Premiership so far this season for the Light Blues, which came in a 1-1 draw with Falkirk in Martin’s last game in charge.
Rohl opted to go with a front two of Danilo and Miovski for the clash with Kilmarnock at Ibrox last time out in the Premiership on Sunday, and the Macedonia international failed to deliver a quality performance before being withdrawn at the break.
Minutes
45
Shots
0
Key passes
0
Touches
9
Possession lost
5
Passes made
2/6
Duels won
1/4
As you can see in the table above, the summer signing from Girona struggled in and out of possession throughout the half, as he offered little in the final third, lost the ball from more than half of his touches, and lost 75% of his physical duels.
It was not a surprise to see Rohl decide to take him off after 45 minutes, because he did not do enough in his time on the pitch to suggest that the second half was going to be better.
Therefore, the German tactician should take him out of the starting XI for this evening’s clash against Hibernian at Easter Road, in the hope that it will motivate him to come off the bench and make an impact, to prove that he deserves to be starting games.
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If Miovski is dropped to the bench for Rangers tonight, Rohl could replace him with a like-for-like option in order to keep a front two alongside Danilo, who scored on Sunday.
With this in mind, the former Sheffield Wednesday head coach should unleash summer signing Youssef Chermiti for his first Premiership start.
Why Youssef Chermiti should start for Rangers against Hibernian
The Portugal U21 international should be unleashed from the start in the hope that he is able to kick on after his first goal for the club against Kilmarnock.
Chermiti’s powerful drive from the edge of the box, which was too hot for the goalkeeper to handle, found the back of the net and marked a notable moment in his young career.
It was his first goal at club level since a strike for Sporting against Pacos Ferreira in the Liga Portugal in May 2023, which means that it was his first goal in over two years.
In those two years, Chermiti signed for Everton and failed to provide a single goal or assist in 24 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League side, per Transfermarkt, before an £8m move to Rangers in the summer.
Speaking after the win over Kilmarnock, Rohl praised the Portuguese striker: “We will improve him (Chermiti) step by step. He has something special and you saw the goal today.
“He has things to improve, especially in the pressing and intensity and which moments he needs to drop to cover inside and in the middle. But he should enjoy today and the goal and then tomorrow we will work on the next parts of his game.”
It was not just his goal that caught the eye in his cameo against Kilmarnock, though, as the powerful centre-forward showcased what his all-round game can look like at its best.
Minutes
21
45
Shots
1
0
Goals
1
0
Touches
15
9
Possession lost
2x
5x
Key passes
1
0
Pass accuracy
100%
33%
Duels won
2/3
1/4
As you can see in the table above, Chermiti had more touches, fewer losses of possession, more key passes, more duels won, and a higher pass accuracy than Miovski, despite only playing 21 minutes.
These statistics show that the Portuguese youngster provided a presence in the number nine role that the Macedonia international failed to during his first half showing.
This is why Rohl should look to unleash Chermiti from the start against Hibernian, having only made five appearances as a substitute in the league so far, in the hope that his performance last time out will give him the confidence to kick on.
Hibs are currently third in the Premiership table and will not be an easy team to face away from home, which is why having the physical presence that Chermiti could provide could be incredibly important for Rohl and Rangers in the game this evening.
