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Rangers manager Derek McInnes was unable to hide his frustration on the touchline during Wednesday’s pulsating 2-2 draw against Hearts, turning his wrath on summer signing Djeidi Gassama after the 35-minute mark at Tynecastle.
While defender Emmanuel Fernandez endured a calamitous outing at the back, Gassama proved to be an equally significant letdown for McInnes after being handed a starting berth on the wing over Badredine Bouanani.
With Hearts dominating the opening exchanges and registering 56% possession in the first half, McInnes grew increasingly exasperated with Gassama’s lack of defensive work rate and poor positional discipline off the ball, despite Rangers leading 1-0 at the time.
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The boiling point arrived just past the half-hour mark, with McInnes spotted screaming instructions and venting his fury directly at Gassama as Hearts carved through the Light Blues’ left flank.
The fiery pitchside exchange did not go unnoticed by the Sky Sports commentary team, with Ian Crocker and former Scotland international James McFadden highlighting the pitfalls of playing on the manager’s side of the pitch.
“That’s the downside of being the wide man on the side of the manager; you’re the first one who gets it”, McFadden said.
Gassama’s inability to track back effectively left Rangers exposed during sustained periods of Hearts pressure, forcing McInnes to constantly bark instructions to cover the wide channels. Therefore, it was no surprise that the former Sheffield Wednesday man was replaced after 54 minutes.
Similarly, Minsu Kim also had a game to forget after being completely at fault for Calvin Miller’s goal for Hearts. The South Korean international gave the ball away in his own half, paving the way for a quick counter-attack that ended with Claudio Braga setting up Miller for a tap-in.