After the painful night before, the post mortem is well and truly underway.

It all looked so promising at 8:45pm on Tuesday night after Alfredo Morelos levelled the tie and the Swedes had Bonke Innocent harshly sent off after colliding with Connor Goldson.

But the second half was a horror show as Antonio Čolak netted a double in quick succession to kill off any aspirations Steven Gerrard’s men had of dining at the top table in European football this season.

The goals were poor and a consequence of more of the defensive frailty that we’ve now sadly come to expect from this Rangers side on the continent.

Many will point to the fact that only 13 goals were shipped in 38 league matches in the 2020-21 campaign but let’s be frank, the standard in quality between the Scottish Premiership and UEFA competition is incomparable.

Since coming away with a clean sheet against Lech Poznan back in October 2020, Rangers have conceded 12 goals in six matches in Europe, more worryingly perhaps is the record of one clean sheet in the last ten.

In Gerrard’s first season at the helm, he guided Rangers to the Europa League group stage where they conceded eight goals in six games. The following season they progressed to the last 16, conceding 16 in ten games and last term they conceded 15 goals in ten matches.

It’s clear the backline has struggled when going up against superior opposition but it appears the issue hasn’t been addressed and it’s cost them, literally.

Speaking to Rangers TV last night, Connor Goldson admitted they’re struggling to recapture the form shown last season, he said: “We’re not doing things right at either side of the pitch at the moment.

“We just don’t look the same team as last season and that has to change quickly.

“The support was unbelievable and we sent them home disappointed. We’re disappointed. We said before the game we had a massive chance of making this a memorable night, and we failed to capitalise on it.

“It’s our fault. The people on the pitch, no one else. We can’t blame management or tactics. It was a game in our own hands and we threw it away.”

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Throw it away they did. To lose 2-0 to 10-men shows both an immaturity in game management.

Debate ensued when the starting lineup was revealed as to whether Filip Helander deserved to find himself sat on the bench with Leon Balogun taking his place alongside Goldson.

Here’s my tuppence worth.

Filip Helander is Rangers best defender, he’s head and shoulders above Balogun and even Goldson given his current form.

The Swede should be starting every game if he’s fit. He kept Čolak quiet last week at the Eleda Stadion and given Balogun has been criticised for allowing the Croatian too much room to get his shot away for his second goal at Ibrox, it backs up the notion that Helander should’ve been preferred to the Nigerian.

Touching on Balogun, in the first half he did reasonably well but he is always prone to mistakes and at Champions League level you don’t often get away with those.

Having previously commentated on him while he was plying his trade with Wigan Athletic, he was always someone who was commanding but prone to glaring errors.

Unfortunately for Rangers, he’s not the level required for Champions League football.

Goldson meanwhile has looked a shadow of the player he was last season. We all know his contract situation is rumbling on in the background and despite the player saying he doesn't want it to cause a distraction, it certainly looks like it.

At one point, a Malmo player ghosted in behind the Englishman with ease and his touch was heavy at times. It’s clear his concentration isn’t at the same level we witnessed during the invincible campaign.

That leads us on to the two full-backs. Both had an off night it’s fair to say. 38 crosses were delivered into the box but many failed to reach a lilac jersey.

READ MORE: Rangers need to go back to basics with Connor Goldson and Filip Helander - Garry Carmody

Borna Barisic, like Goldson, looks to be struggling.  Injury restricted him to just a handful of minutes at the Euros and he doesn't look 100% fit.

He’s often taking one touch too many, his deliveries from crosses and free-kicks have been poor and he’s also been prone to losing focus.

For me, Calvin Bassey deserves an opportunity as Barisic’s form doesn’t deserve a starting berth.

The former Leicester kid impressed during pre-season and against Livingston in the Premiership opener he certainly did nothing to warrant being sidelined.

James Tavernier meanwhile, two assists against Livingston aside, has also struggled recently. With Dunfermline in the League Cup on Friday night, it’s an ideal opportunity to play Nathan Patterson.

Again, like Barisic, Tavernier really can’t have too many complaints if he finds himself on the bench.

In the main, however, this Rangers backline isn’t good enough to compete at this level.

Benfica, Standard Liege, Royal Antwerp and Slavia Prague highlighted these defensive deficiencies last term and Malmo have simply clarified that point.

It’s now up to Steven Gerrard and his background staff to identify what is going wrong and rectify it before the Europa League playoff next week.

Failure to do so and they run the risk of being dumped out of two European competitions in quick succession and the financial rewards that come with that.

Malmo aside, Gerrard’s record in qualifiers is impressive and you would expect him to guide Rangers to the group stages but if the club wants to progress to that next level and better last season’s last 16 finish, they clearly need better defensive options.