Chris Sutton names Rangers duo in Team of the Week after 3-1 win over Dundee
Chris Sutton has named two Rangers players in his Scottish Premiership Team of the Week after their impressive 3-1 win over Dundee, with James Tavernier and Abdallah Sima making the cut.
In the weekend’s best XI as shared by the Daily Record (11 December) Sutton included the two Light Blues stars alongside three Kilmarnock players following their impressive 2-1 win over title rivals Celtic.
Both Sima and Tavernier scored in the first half of the Gers’ clash with Dundee at Ibrox on Saturday (9 December) with a goal from Cyriel Dessers ensuring that Philippe Clement’s side cut the gap to Brendan Rodgers’ Hoops to five points.
On top of their goals, the Rangers duo were forced to go about their work well defensively after Jose Cifuentes was shown a red card late in the first half, forcing the Light Blues to navigate the second half with 10 men.
Hitting their stride
It wasn’t too long ago that some Rangers supporters were criticising Tavernier and calling for him to be dropped from the starting XI at Ibrox because of a string of average performances, but the Light Blues skipper has been back to his best in recent weeks.
His performance at both ends of the field on Saturday was superb as he not only slotted home the first-half penalty excellently but also picked up the assist for Sima’s goal with an excellent cross into the penalty area from a corner.
Similarly, Sima was incredibly lively down the left flank for Clement’s side and gave the Dundee backline a torrid afternoon as they tried to stop him from getting into the penalty area. The 22-year-old now has nine goals in 16 Scottish Premiership matches and has to be considered one of the Gers’ best summer signings.
Hopefully, both players will carry their form from the weekend into Rangers’ crucial Europa League clash with Real Betis on Thursday 14 December and fire the Light Blues into the competition’s knockout stages.
The next few weeks could be season-defining for Rangers and they’ll need their biggest stars at their best to keep the fight for all three titles alive.
In other Rangers news, Dujon Sterling has lifted the lid on Clement’s “Kill Zone” message behind the scenes at Ibrox