After two games as an unused sub, Thelo Aasgaard returned to the pitch in Rangers’ 1-0 away win against St Mirren.
The Gers made it hard work for themselves, but a Tuur Rommens strike on the half-hour mark was enough for three points.
Danny Rohl’s side struggled to threaten St Mirren with a second goal until Aasgaard entered the pitch in the 71st minute.
The Norwegian attacker was crisp in his passing and added another dimension to the forward line.
His tidy cameo nearly had the perfect end, but his finish into the St Mirren goal was chalked offside.
As the World Cup approaches, Aasgaard came into the fold with a point to prove as the Gers aim for the Premiership title.
Thelo Aasgaard cameo
Thelo Aasgaard came on in the 71st minute for Yousef Chermiti, who had struggled to get a foothold in the game.
He came on to play as the attacking midfielder behind Ryan Naderi and eventually Bojan Miovski in the 81st minute.
He was the bright spark in the final minutes, re-energizing the Gers and coming agonizingly close to making it 2-0.
In the 90th minute, Mikey Moore squared the ball across the box to Aasgaard, who made no trouble in tapping the ball home.
However, VAR judged that Aasgaard was marginally ahead of Moore when the ball was played.
The call was extremely tight, but even with the goal not standing, his performance has given Rohl so much food for thought.
He looked energetic and efficient, playing the role of the connector that Rohl has been craving for the past two weeks.
A needed change in formation
Manager Danny Rohl has been consistent in playing two strikers in a 4-2-2-2 formation in recent weeks.
After over 20 shots in the Old Firm last weekend, it’s clear the current formation isn’t as prolific as it needs to be.
The Gers have been crying out for a connector to play as the number 10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Ryan Naderi is yet to open his Premiership account in six matches, while Miovski has scored four league goals.
Chermiti is Rangers’ only consistent striker, netting nine goals in 13 starts.
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In that case, it’s abundantly clear that Rohl needs to play an attacking midfielder behind Chermiti to connect to defence and attack.
Though he’s been inconsistent, Aasgaard has still registered five goals and four assists this season.
If so, Aasgaard’s cameo on Sunday shows he has a point to prove and can be the connector that Rohl craves.
