Rangers striker Ryan Naderi has insisted the whole team must take responsibility for scoring goals following a 1-0 victory over FK Jablonec at Ibrox.
The German forward scored the only goal of the European qualifier on Thursday to give manager Derek McInnes a slim lead to take to Czechia for next week's second leg. The result marked a second consecutive win for Rangers after Naderi also found the net against St Mirren in the League Cup at the weekend.
Naderi had previously failed to score in 10 of his last 11 appearances. However, his recent striking form has provided crucial relief for McInnes during a period of mounting personnel problems in attack.
Despite his goalscoring streak, Naderi stressed that he cannot solve the team's offensive challenges on his own. "I think it's the responsibility for the whole team, honestly," Naderi said.
"With Youssef, we're missing a unique type of player, so we have to try as a team to fill the gap, and as I said, it's just a team thing," he added. "Obviously, someone has to score the goals and I'm lucky to be the one who at the moment gets the ball over the line. But it's the whole team who has to fill this gap."
Injury blow and transfer complications
Rangers were dealt a severe setback a fortnight ago during a defeat against Hibernian. Forward Youssef Chermiti conceded an early goal alongside his teammates before being forced off on a stretcher. A subsequent scan revealed a cruciate ligament injury that will keep the Portuguese striker out of action for six to nine months.
The timing of the injury proved doubly painful for the Ibrox hierarchy. Just a day prior to the match, Rangers had rejected a bumper transfer bid for Chermiti from Turkish club Galatasaray. The long-term layoff ended any prospects of recouping funds from his sale before the current transfer window closes on September 3.
Chermiti arrived at Rangers in a £10 million transfer from English Premier League side Everton. After enduring a difficult start to his career in Glasgow, he had steadily established himself as a key contributor in major fixtures last season.
Attacking options and transfer pursuits
Chermiti's absence leaves McInnes with limited senior attacking options. Lawrence Shankland has managed just one goal, a penalty, across six appearances this season. Meanwhile, forward Bojan Miovski has featured for only 15 minutes in total and remains frozen out of the starting lineup.
To address the shortage, Rangers are pursuing a transfer deal for Kevin Kelsy, a Venezuelan striker currently playing for Major League Soccer side Portland Timbers.
With transfer negotiations ongoing, McInnes opted for a tactical adjustment against Jablonec. He deployed Naderi as a single central striker, supported on the flanks by wingers Djeidi Gassama and Daisuke Yokota.
Naderi expressed complete comfort with the single-striker role. "Obviously, there are different things you have to do with the second striker next to you," Naderi explained. "I'm okay if the other striker shines a bit more. I'm someone who likes to work a lot for the team and this doesn't change even if I'm one striker. Right now, I'm just happy that things are going well."
Fan frustration and squad integration
Thursday's match at Ibrox was a laboured performance that offered little entertainment for home supporters, many of whom voiced disappointment at the slow tempo. Rangers took three or four touches in midfield when two would have sufficed, failing to dislodge Jablonec's defensive shape.
Naderi acknowledged the crowd's frustration while defending the team's progress. "I agree, but obviously we don't play against just 'some' opponent," he said. "We're here to qualify for the European competitions, so obviously your opponent is tough. I agree that the first half wasn't amazing, but I'm happy that we kept a clean sheet. That was really important."
He noted that Rangers created chances for more goals and urged patience as 11 summer signings adapt to Glasgow. "I think it's just somehow normal in football. Things change fast," Naderi said. "It's about the old players welcoming the new players and the new players adapting quickly. I mean, not everything was horrible in the games before. It's just that we managed to win those last two games now. It's still progress we're going through. We still have to improve and I think we're going in the right direction. We have to keep this up."
When asked if Rangers need to quicken their play to energise the crowd, Naderi agreed. "Yes, definitely," he said. "I think part of the reality is that we just haven't had the best start and we're improving. It's not like you can just switch this off, but it's about believing in yourself and I'm confident that over time we'll get better and better."
Personal ties to Czech second leg
Rangers have a free weekend before travelling to Czechia for the return leg, where avoiding defeat will secure UEFA Conference League group stage football until Christmas. The fixture holds deep personal significance for Naderi, whose mother is Czech.
Naderi speaks Czech and spent many childhood holidays visiting his grandmother in the country. He expects family members to attend the match in Jablonec nad Nisou.
"My story is that my mum is from the Czech Republic. My grandma lives there, so I can speak Czech," Naderi said. "It's not as good as it used to be, because when I was still a student, I used to go there on holidays. Definitely, I'll have family there. But for me it's something special because it's just qualifying games for a European competition. These are the nights you want to play and this is the special part for me. I don't care who we play."
