Emmanuel Fernandez identifies what Rangers must improve despite Motherwell win

Emmanuel Fernandez of Rangers. Copyright: ImagoxAlexxToddx

Nigerian defender Emmanuel Fernandez has revealed the key area Rangers must improve despite their narrow 1-0 win over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Gers secured their third successive league victory after being made to work hard for all three points against Motherwell. Rangers have now recovered from a slow start to the season, winning their last three matches across all competitions.

They suffered an early setback when striker Lawrence Shankland was forced off through injury. However, his replacement, Ryan Naderi, made an immediate impact by scoring the only goal of the game in the 12th minute. He capitalized on a mistake by Motherwell goalkeeper Alex Paulsen to score into an empty net.

Rangers dominated the encounter and created several opportunities to extend their lead but were unable to add to their tally. However, they held on for the victory, following previous wins over Aberdeen and Falkirk.

The result moved Rangers up to third in the Scottish Premiership standings, five points behind leaders and champions Celtic.

The Super Eagles defender has faced criticism for some of his performances this season, with Rangers manager Derek McInnes also admitting that his displays had largely been below the standards expected at the club.

However, Fernandez has now played his part in two consecutive clean sheets as Rangers continue to improve defensively.

Reacting to the latest victory and another clean sheet, Fernandez said he was pleased with Rangers’ performance but admitted the team must become more efficient in front of goal. The Gers registered 27 shots against Motherwell, with only six hitting the target, while they scored just once.

“It was good, and we know we could have scored more, but we got the win and the clean sheet”, Fernandez said, in quotes revealed by the club’s official website.

“It is a positive that we created those chances. We know we have to finish them to get greater leads, but the fact that we know we are creating those chances is good.

“We will work on it in training to look to get more positive results with that.

“We know we have three wins in a row and two clean sheets in those matches, and we are going into the next few games with confidence. We know we can create chances and we are keeping goals out of our net too.”

Soccer Fernandez talks up growing partnership with Makhanya

The Super Eagles defender has formed a new partnership in Rangers’ defence following the arrival of South African defender Olwethu Makhanya from MLS side Philadelphia Union.

The pair helped Rangers secure another clean sheet against Motherwell, and Fernandez believes their partnership can continue to improve as the season progresses.

“Changes happen, be it different styles or different players, but you have to adapt to that”, Fernandez added.

“In your career, you will have to deal with it. It is exciting, and you have to grow those relationships. The relationship I have with Maka is very good. He has done well since coming in.

“We are growing as a partnership; we are keeping clean sheets, but there is more to come.

“Since we lost the European game, we went straight to Aberdeen, and we grew closer. We spoke about what happened, and as a team, even if you aren’t performing well, you know you are together.

“We have St Mirren on Wednesday, and it is about continuing the form we are in. We want to win again, and then we move on to the next game”, the Super Eagles star concluded.

Rangers will face St Mirren in their next Scottish Premiership clash on Wednesday, with Fernandez and his teammates hoping to continue their impressive run of form and close the gap on Celtic at the top of the table.

Ayomide Oguntimehin

Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.

Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin