Sparta Prague ace Jan Kuchta impressed by Rangers stars Jack Butland and Abdallah Sima in Europa League draw
Sparta Prague forward Jan Kuchta has revealed that he was impressed by Rangers stars Jack Butland and Abdallah Sima in the Light Blues’ Europa League draw.
Philippe Clement’s side saw out a goalless draw with the Czech side to continue their unbeaten start under the former Moncao manager, thanks in part to an impressive performance between the posts from former England international Jack Butland.
The 30-year-old keeper made an impressive four saves in the match including an excellent double stop in the opening five minutes and Czech forward Kuchta was keen to heap praise on the Rangers keeper’s display.
As quoted by The Herald (27 October) he said: “Unfortunately for us, the Rangers keeper made a lot of good saves. But we also have to take our share of the blame for poor finishing. We actually hit a few shots straight at him.
“I expect a similar game in Glasgow. I played at Ibrox Stadium when there were no fans there. It will be a stormy atmosphere. But we have to deal with it if we want to progress. We believe we are going in the right direction and will get enough points to advance.”
Discussing Sima, Kuchta said: “I enjoyed seeing him. He also made progress at Rangers and he is finally healthy and fully fit. He has done well with Rangers by scoring goals and making assists. He is an intelligent player.”
Bright moments
Rangers’ Europa League draw on Thursday (26 October) won’t likely live long in the memory of the Light Blues’ supporters and while it wasn’t the best-attacking display, it was a refreshingly solid defensive display that has already earned plenty of plaudits.
Butland has been the pick of Michael Beale’s summer signings at Ibrox this season and has barely put a foot wrong since arriving in Glasgow and his display against Sparta showed that he will be just as crucial during Clement’s time in Scotland.
Away from the keeper, Sima’s display was the best of any of Clement’s forwards, both in defence and in attack, with the Senegalese forward winning the most tackles in the match with five and winning a further 11 duels in the contest.
The winger has found his feet at Ibrox in the last couple of months and although he didn’t continue his excellent goal-scoring form on Thursday night, he still had an incredibly positive impact on the match. Keeping him fit and firing for the remainder of the campaign could be crucial to Rangers’ success for the remainder of the campaign.
In other Rangers news, Clement has revealed an update on Borna Barisic’s injury and set a timeframe for his return