Gary Keown has voiced his opinion that Rangers should have parted ways with Borna Barisic long before. The 30-year-old Croatian left-back has been a divisive figure at Ibrox over the past five-plus years.
The Croatian defender was sidelined due to injury, leaving Michael Beale, Rangers’ coach, with no alternative left-back registered in the squad for the group stages of the competition. This lack of foresight did not escape the scrutiny of Gary Keown, who believes that Barisic’s continued presence at the club is unjustifiable.
Keown’s scathing remarks, featured in the pages 98 and 99 of the Scottish Mail on Sunday’s edition dated October 29th, underscore his dissatisfaction with the situation. He quipped, “By the time Philippe Clement, having lost his hair and already carrying a mildly haunted look in the eyes, has worked his way through the mess left by Michael Beale at Rangers, he’s going to end up resembling Max Schreck in Nosferatu.”
The Sparta Prague fixture, in particular, served as an illustration of Keown’s grievances. He stated, “Look at the Europa League visit to Sparta Prague during the week, for example. Your first-choice left-back Borna Barisic, who should have been sold yonks ago when he was worth money, is injured, and no one has bothered to register his backup Ridvan Yilmaz for the squad.”
The consequences of this oversight became all too apparent, forcing the team into an uncomfortable position. Keown observed, “As a result, you end up having to play arguably the best goalscorer in your squad, Abdallah Sima, as a wing-back.”
In conclusion, Gary Keown’s critique of Rangers’ handling of Borna Barisic’s situation is not only a condemnation of past decisions but also a stark reminder of the importance of strategic planning in the world of football. The absence of a proper replacement for a key player can have significant consequences, as Rangers found out the hard way during their Europa League clash with Sparta Prague.