Borna Barisic hands Philippe Clement first Rangers dilemma already at Ibrox
New Rangers boss Philippe Clement has a big call to make already after Borna Barisic turned in two awful international displays, and it could now be time to drop him from the team.
After two defeats from their games against Turkey and Wales, Barisic and Croatia now find themselves potentially on the brink of missing out on European Championships qualification.
Wales’ superior head-to-head record has put them in the driver’s seat, where a win in their next game would see them qualify at the expense of Croatia regardless of results elsewhere.
Barisic must take some of the blame for Croatia’s struggles after he started both games against Turkey and Wales, turning in equally disappointing displays in both.
In the 2-1 defeat to Wales [15 October], the left-back was torn to shreds. He was dribbled past three times, won just two of five attempted duels both on the ground and in the air, lost possession eight times and failed to complete a single cross, in a poor display both defensively and going forward. [Sofascore]
This show saw him dragged off after just 59 minutes, with his international boss Zlatko Dalic clearly having seen enough from his inconsistent performances.
The loss to Wales followed a poor display against Turkey [12 October], in which the defender found himself booked after 34 minutes for a bad foul, while losing possession 14 times, winning just three of seven attempted duels, and failing to complete a single one of six attempted crosses.
On top of this, he had a 0% dribble success rate and was substituted off the pitch after 80 minutes, setting the tone for a disastrous international break. [Sofascore]
Clement will now be met with a decision whether to drop Barisic from his starting lineup at Rangers in favour of new arrival Dujon Sterling, who has struggled for minutes since arriving in the summer.
Questions have been asked about Barisic’s drop in performances all season, and it has now culminated in a disaster on international duty, with the new boss facing a big call just days into his Ibrox tenure.
In other Rangers news, Clement wants another new hire today.