Philippe Clement needs answers as Sam Lammers, Ridvan Yilmaz among flops – Three things learned in Rangers vs Hearts
Rangers somehow rescued a dismal performance at the death against Hearts to keep Philippe Clement’s 100% SPFL record in tact but the task ahead of him will have become painfully clear.
An early Lawrence Shankland header on Sunday (29 October) put the visitors ahead when he beat Ridvan Yilmaz in the air to direct an excellent header past Jack Butland, while the Light Blues struggled to create any chances of note through 90 minutes.
Todd Cantwell was felled deep into first-half stoppage time to give James Tavernier the chance to equalise from the spot, but he hit the post as virtually everyone played poorly until the dying minutes of the game when the captain scored with his second penalty after Connor Goldson had been pulled back at a corner.
Tavenier then finally got one of his crosses right to find substitute Danilo at the back post, to head home the winner in the 93rd minute and give the home side three points with a 2-1 win they barely deserved on the strength of the performance.
The result closed the gap on Celtic by two points after their goalless draw with Hibs a day earlier but left Rangers and their new manager with as many questions as answers on the day.
Here, Ibrox News selects three things learned by the win over Hearts.
Shankland could now be a genuine target at last
A possible move to sign the Jam Tarts’ scorer was suggested ahead of the game after Clement revealed he was familiar with the striker from his time in Belgium at Beerschot.
Whether that was realistic or not it very well could be now after the 28-year-old scored an excellent goal in front of the Rangers boss as part of a strong overall performance.
That, coupled with the ongoing struggles of Cyriel Dessers, who had an attempt cleared off the line by Shankland, and Sam Lammers, who didn’t appear to be anywhere near scoring at any stage, has surely made Clement think seriously ahead of the winter window.
Danilo scored the winner but hadn’t had much of an impact following his half-time introduction, and Abdallah Sima, who has largely been excellent lately, also had an off day on the left-flank.
Rangers signed all four for Michael Beale in the summer rather than make a push for the Hearts captain, so even if they aren’t seriously considering a move now they probably should be.
Left-back is a problem
Borna Barisic has been the target of high-profile criticism a number of times in recent seasons as he has been caught out defensively, particularly in Old Firm derbies.
Yilmaz was signed for a fee of up to £5million two summers ago [Sky Sports] as the presumed replacement, and yet he has still done little to take the job and his showing against Hearts won’t have convinced Clement he can.
Beale’s decision to omit him from the Europa League squad caused a selection headache in midweek, but having him available in Barisic’s absence didn’t prove particularly helpful against Hearts as he was exposed aerially more than once, most obviously for Shankland’s goal.
He got forward with regularity and is arguably more dynamic than his Croatian teammate but he offered far less with his crossing, which is all the more of an issue now that Rangers lack pace and width in attack.
Dujon Sterling is also out injured currently and has had little impact since his arrival this summer, to leave the Light Blues with at least three options at the position, none of which inspire complete confidence, and it would be no surprise if the manager feels he needs to sign another to address the issue.
Captain can’t remain key man
Tavernier didn’t have a good game by any means as he failed to close down Alex Cochrane as he crossed to assist the opener, missed the first-half penalty, and was wayward with all of his crosses before the late winner.
He can’t be accused of giving up on the game though or shying away from pressure, as he stepped up a second time to find the net and then found Danilo in the final minutes.
That’s all very well and ultimately helped make the difference on the day, but the fact that the ageing right-back is arguably Rangers’ greatest weapon so often is a damning indictment of the rest of the squad.
He now has seven goals and three assists in all competitions this season, numbers that the likes of Lammers can only dream of at present, and while that reflects well on the captain personally it makes it painfully clear how badly others need to step up.
The Gers didn’t look like scoring until they were handed another chance from the spot and that is simply unsustainable if they are going to make anything of this season.
In other Rangers news, Michael Stewart was shocked as one Gers man was “exploited ruthlessly” in an “unbelievable” turn at Ibrox.