James Tavernier was again the fall guy as Steven Gerrard’s Europa League dream came to an end in Germany.
Trailing 3-1 from the home leg in March the Ibrox men were sent out on a damage limitation exercise but it seems that no one informed the skipper who presented Bayer Leverkusen with the only goal of the game in the 51st minute.
Lagging a yard behind his fellow defender’s Tav was unable to get close to Moussa Diaby as he raced clear to smash a shot high past Allan McGregor.
Leverkusen hadn’t played for a month but cruised through in third gear with the knock-out stages all being played in Germany.
It was a familiar story for Tav who has picked up one Petrofac Cup winners medal in five years at Ibrox.
Last season he bottled out of taking a penalty against Celtic in the League Cup Final, handing the ball to the out of form Alfredo Morelos whose shot was saved by Fraser Forster.
In February a poor pass back to McGregor created the goal for Hearts to end Gerrard’s hopes of winning the Scottish Cup.
Not the goal Rangers wanted to see ?
Moussa Diaby with a fine finish beyond Allan McGregor.
Steven Gerrard’s side have it all to do in Germany…#Club2020 pic.twitter.com/MloaKM6gb8
— Football on BT Sport #Club2020 (@btsportfootball) August 6, 2020
If I didn’t see James Tavernier or Alfredo Morelos again, I would be happy! One is useless and ones heart isn’t in it, you decide which one is which
— Grant (@grantmckay7) August 6, 2020
Really is mystifying how James Tavernier is a Rangers player let alone the captain
— Alister Quinney (@AlisterQuinney) August 6, 2020
?? “I think guys like James Tavernier and Borna Barisic have been guilty of being sloppy in the final third. They’ve been better than that in pre-season and at the weekend” – Neil McCann
More in our live text here ?? https://t.co/xoKZWrRYcB pic.twitter.com/9mDoWwmyit
— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) August 6, 2020
That’s been coming, this pass out from that back cost us, James Tavernier playing everyone inside yet again! I said it before and I’ll say it again, a back 4 of Barasic, goldson, ANYONE and Tavernier doesn’t win you the league! Gerrard, you will never learn.
— Grant (@grantmckay7) August 6, 2020
James tavernier is the worst right back i can remember playing for us. You are a fucking defender. DEFEND! USELESS #B04RFC
— Danny Kane (@TheeDannyKane) August 6, 2020
Not bad given the quality we were facing. Flying the flag for Scotland alone and done us proud this campaign. Tavernier really concerns me. He simply is a bad player but the best available to play at RB. Morelos is simply nothing anymore. Would take £10m for him. Davis was poor
— AndyD92 (@AndrewD99237970) August 6, 2020
So what positives do we take from that?? We looked a yard off the pace, Morelos looked disinterested from KO, Barker is still shite, the goal came from Tav’s gash positioning as always, etc. Leverkusen looked like the team who wanted it more. Oh well onwards & upwards ?
— Lennox Richardson (@lennyrfc) August 6, 2020