Martin Justifies Champions League Player Rotation After Benching Tavernier And Raskin

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Russell Martin addressed the decision to leave James Tavernier and Nico Raskin out of the starting lineup for Rangers' 3-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League qualifiers. The win at Ibrox was secured with two goals from Djeidi Gassama and a penalty by Cyriel Dessers. Gassama has now netted four times in three Champions League games this season, having scored in both matches against Panathinaikos.

Martin clarified that his choice to rest Tavernier and Raskin was not performance-related but aimed at maintaining team freshness. "I don't like the word dropped," Martin explained to BBC Scotland. "You don't get dropped from the team; we're going to need everyone." He emphasised the importance of rotating players to keep them fresh for upcoming matches.

Tavernier and Raskin entered as substitutes on Tuesday, just days after Martin criticised his squad following a 1-1 draw with Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership. Despite his earlier frustration, Martin expressed satisfaction with their latest performance, which brought them closer to a potential play-off against Club Brugge or Salzburg.

Reflecting on the match, Martin said, "I'm really happy with a lot of it." However, he noted some dissatisfaction with how they played in the final 15 minutes, feeling they retained possession too much in their own half. He acknowledged it's his role to demand more from his players.

The head coach was particularly pleased with how the team responded after Saturday's challenging game. He praised their energy and quality at the start of the match against Viktoria Plzen. "From Saturday to today, they took everything on," Martin remarked, highlighting their ability to learn and apply detailed strategies under pressure.

Martin had previously expressed disappointment after the draw with Motherwell, urging some players to set aside their egos. This time, he was content with their progress as they moved closer to advancing in the Champions League qualifiers.

Martin stressed that decisions about player selection are always challenging but necessary for achieving success on match day. He assured that different line-ups would be used for future games based on what is best for each occasion.