Borna Barisic was signed by Rangers last summer from Croatian outfit NK Osijek. The left-back started well in the initial few weeks, but he soon tapered off and struggled for form and injuries. He has been replaced by the likes of Jon Flanagan and Andy Halliday whose preferred positions are not even at left-back.
Relationship of Gerrard and Barisic in the first year
The Bears had spent £2m on Barisic, and it was being seen as a dud signing by many. The fans were also left disappointed by his performances as expectations were very high from him, given that he is a Croatian international. Reports had even emerged last season that Gerrard was left fuming because of the lack of effort and commitment put in by Barisic. The defender admitted around two months back that he had some problems with Gerrard because of his injury issue.
Gerrard had almost mocked Barisic and indicated that he needed to toughen up after he was slightly injured in a friendly against Helsinki in January this year. The manager had said, “I don’t know (on kind of injury), you’ll have to ask Borna. He had me worried because he tapped the floor about 55 times, but I’m not sure, you’ll have to ask Borna, but he looks like he’s moving okay now.”
Barisic explains how he has improved this season?
With all the troubles, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see the defender leaving after his first year. However, Barisic revealed that a good chat with the gaffer earlier this season made him feel better. The left-back recently said, ”When I scored a great goal against St Mirren, it gave me a lift. But after that, I had a chat with the manager, and we were both honest with each other.”
”I won’t say what we spoke about, but I felt better after it – and I started to play a lot better. Last season I had a few injuries and couldn’t settle down here. My mindset was different. Now, I feel I have the mentality that is needed to be a Rangers player. To play here, your mentality has to be to win every single game. You have to be brave and try to take this team to the top of Scottish football.”
The fullback has been outstanding ever since the St. Mirren game and credit should go to the player and the manager to sort their issues from last season out. His crossing from the left has been eye-catching this season, and he has also managed to hold his own in defence. Gerrard has been tough on Barisic in his first campaign to get the best out of him, and Rangers are benefitting from it this year, now that the fullback has settled in well at Ibrox.
