Ross McCausland has to extend his stay – Three things learned in Rangers v Sparta Prague
Rangers continued their unbeaten start under Philippe Clement with an exceptional 2-1 win over Sparta Prague on Thursday 9 November.
The Light Blues boosted their chances of qualifying for the Europa League knockout stages as first-half strikes from Danilo and Todd Cantwell ensured that all three points remained at Ibrox, despite a consolation goal from Lukas Haraslin.
Clement’s side now sit second in Group C, two points behind Real Betis at the top with two matches left to play. Should Rangers beat Aris Limassol in their next Europa League match they will guarantee themselves European football after Christmas.
Here’s what Ibrox News learned from Rangers’ win.
Danilo is the number nine
So much of Rangers’ summer transfer business was focused on recruiting at the top end of the pitch, with the Light Blues searching for an Alfredo Morelos replacement after the Colombian was allowed to leave Ibrox at the end of last season.
While the jury remains out on both Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers, it is safe to say that Danilo is living up to the expectations he arrived in Glasgow with and his performance at Ibrox on Thursday was nothing short of exceptional.
The Brazilian worked exceptionally hard from the front and his first-half goal came from his high press before he slotted in with his left foot in a demonstration of excellent composure. He could have had a second had the post not denied him and he even picked up the assist for Cantwell’s goal.
Hopefully, the 24-year-old can stay fit and continue to lead the Gers’ line as he did on Thursday evening.
Tavernier sloppy
Rangers flew out of the gates in the first half and got their reward as they registered an early lead, but the same couldn’t be said in the second period, as the Light Blues were guilty of being rather sloppy at times as they gifted possession back to the away side.
Ben Davies got away with a wayward pass, while James Tavernier was criticised by Ally McCoist for taking too long to pick a pass. Speaking on TNT Sport (9 November, 21:19) he said: “It comes from slackness from Tavernier. I can see from up here he was taking too much time on it.”
Luckily for Rangers, their sloppy moments didn’t prove too costly against Sparta, but Clement is a know perfectionist and if the Gers want to compete on all fronts, they need to ensure that they see out games more professionally and kill teams off.
Sign McCausland up
Now and again you see a player come into a game and it is clear that they are going to be special. Ross McCausland is exactly that type of player and Rangers have to do everything in their power to extend his stay at Ibrox.
The 20-year-old was introduced by Clement with just over 20 minutes to play and was bright from his first touch, as he drove the Gers up the field. The Northern Irish winger created one chance and three of his six accurate passes were into the final third [Fotmob].
McCausland brought a burst of pace to the Rangers attack that hadn’t been seen since Ryan Kent departed this summer. He can dart past a defender with relative ease and against Sparta’s slow defence he was a game-changer in the second half.
The only thing missing from the 20-year-old’s game was a bit of composure as he spurned one or two golden chances to score his first goal for Rangers.
Clement is clearly an admirer of the young forward given how often he has utilised him from the bench. But you wouldn’t be surprised if he was given a start in the coming weeks, especially if he signs a new deal at Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, Ally McCoist was stunned by a “top class” moment from Danilo in the first half against Sparta Prague