NafisaThelo Aasgaard was caught “virtually ignoring” Rangers boss Derek McInnes during the closing stages of the Light Blues’ humiliating European exit to Jablonec.
Rangers travelled to Czechia knowing a positive result would be enough to keep their European campaign alive. They had taken a 1-0 advantage from the first leg at Ibrox and, on paper, remained favourites to progress.
Instead, the night quickly became another deeply frustrating chapter in what has already been a difficult start to the McInnes era.
Rangers produced very little going forward and struggled to create anything of real danger throughout the 90 minutes. Jablonec, meanwhile, grew increasingly confident and eventually found the goal they needed when Vakhtang Chanturishvili cancelled out Rangers’ aggregate advantage.
The Czech side had opportunities to finish the tie inside normal time, but Rangers somehow survived and forced another 30 minutes of extra time.
Even then, the Light Blues could not find the attacking moment required to rescue their European campaign.
The tension eventually boiled over on the touchline, with McInnes visibly demanding more from his players as the final minutes ticked away.
And one particular moment involving Aasgaard has now attracted significant attention.
The Norwegian international came off the bench in the 60th minute for Vanja Dragojevic, but his biggest involvement came late in extra time when Rangers were desperately searching for one final opportunity.
Aasgaard delivered a corner into the penalty area, but the ball was badly struck and ultimately trickled all the way out for a throw-in at the opposite side of the pitch.
McInnes immediately reacted with frustration, clearly wanting his players to regroup and make one final push.
However, BBC commentator Alasdair Lamont noticed Aasgaard’s response and suggested the Rangers midfielder appeared to ignore his manager.
He said: “Derek McInnes [is] urging Thelo Aasgaard to get back in, and he is virtually ignoring his manager.”
Lamont then highlighted Aasgaard’s movement as the Rangers player slowly made his way back into position.
He added: “Now, he is trotting back into the middle of the park, and Rangers are facing a penalty shoot-out.”
It was a striking moment given the circumstances. Rangers were just minutes away from potentially losing their entire European campaign, while McInnes was desperately trying to get a reaction from his players.
Instead, the manager appeared to receive very little urgency from one of his attacking players.
The penalty shoot-out ultimately delivered the devastating conclusion Rangers had been trying to avoid.
Findlay Curtis and James Penrice missed their penalties, allowing Jablonec to complete the job and send Rangers crashing out of Europe altogether.
For McInnes, it was another painful night and another performance that will raise questions about whether his team are responding to his demands.
Aasgaard’s situation is particularly interesting because the 24-year-old had initially made a positive impression under the new manager.
The Norway international returned early from his post-World Cup break and was praised by McInnes for his commitment. He subsequently scored on the opening day against Dundee United, seemingly putting himself in contention for an important role.
Things have changed considerably since then.
Following Rangers’ first-leg defeat to Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland, Aasgaard has increasingly found himself being used from the bench rather than being trusted from the start.
His appearance against Jablonec was his third consecutive outing as a substitute.
That lack of regular involvement will inevitably add another layer to the debate surrounding the midfielder, particularly after the incident caught on camera in Czechia.
McInnes now has a major job on his hands.
Rangers have spent heavily during the summer and entered the season with expectations of competing domestically while making progress in Europe. Instead, their European adventure has ended before even reaching the league phase of either competition.
The manager will therefore need his players to respond quickly.
With no European football to distract them, the pressure on Rangers’ domestic campaign has just increased considerably. Every performance will now be judged against the level of investment made into the squad, and moments such as Aasgaard’s late reaction will only add to the scrutiny surrounding McInnes and his dressing room.
The manager needs his players fully bought into his methods.
And after what happened in Czechia, there will be questions about whether everyone is pulling in the same direction.
Nafisa
