For many months at the start of this season, Ibrox Noise was completely in favour of a defence of Nasser Djiga and Derek Cornelius. For multiple reasons, some of which are known, that is unlikely to ever manifest itself. Initially, of course, Djiga and Souttar was the partnership. It did not work. Both players simply did not have the right connection and communication levels at the back. Consequently, to this day, we have randomly switched around in the rear guard, only until recent weeks finally finding something that we have stuck with. That is, of course, Djiga and Fernandez. While by no means an iron curtain, it has been the most settled defence we have had in a while, simply because we have stuck with it. Rangers defence Rangers overview
Settling at the back
Djiga, of course, was not well received to begin with at Rangers, and Fernandez was not exactly popularly received either, in all fairness. But regardless of all of the switching around, those two have become the central pairing. It seems, tentatively, to be working, but it raises a big question. defensive collapse
John Souttar situation
John Souttar had a contract until next summer, that is, the summer of 2027. He got an extension for another year on top of that, which takes him to 2028. At least there is an option for that. The problem is that John Souttar has been extremely poor this season. Ibrox Noise was in favour of Souttar being given a new contract, but unfortunately for Souttar, his form has gone downhill so aggressively in the last two or three months that he has become unselectable. This has opened the door perfectly for half of the original choice that Ibrox Noise wanted. That is Nasser Djiga. defensive issues
Time and partnership development
Djiga has found himself partnering with Fernandez, a partnership which earlier this season did not work. Who could forget the dire performance from both of those two against Livingston at Ibrox? There was no cohesion or understanding. But time has given that a little bit of stability. This is one of the rare occasions where giving something time is kind of essential in football, that is a defensive partnership. Unless the two are completely psychic from the beginning, it will require a period of settling in. Djiga and Fernandez have had that. It is not imperious. It is still not foolproof. But Djiga has finally started getting the love from Rangers fans that he has needed for a long time, while Fernandez has become something of a cult figure. defensive stats
Looking ahead
It is nice to see what seems to be a reasonably decent defence. We are not sure if it will exactly work for Rangers during the split because the standard will hike dramatically in terms of the opponents. Nevertheless, we will see how the two of them get on. But then there is the question of Souttar. fan perspective