Jose Cifuentes now walks a tightrope at Rangers after what he did v Dundee, Philippe Clement could bin him in January
Rangers midfielder Jose Cifuentes is surely now walking a tightrope at Ibrox after his sending off against Dundee United could well have cost his team three points.
The Gers came from behind to beat Dundee 3-1 at Ibrox on Saturday (9 December) and narrow the gap to Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic.
The Ibrox side – who remain unbeaten under Philippe Clement – are now five points behind their Old Firm rivals with a game in hand after their Old Firm rivals lost at Kilmarnock on Sunday (10 December).
However, despite the win, Cifuentes’ sending will have certainly left a sour taste in Clement’s mouth with the Ecuadorian already struggling to make a name for himself at Ibrox since his summer move.
The former Los Angeles FC midfielder was sent off late in the first half for an alleged stamp on Dundee forward Amadou Bakayoko.
The dismissal rules the Ecuador international out of next week’s showdown with Aberdeen at Hampden Park. However, he may yet be given a reprieve as an appeal hearing is set for Tuesday (12 December), according to Chris Jack (11 December).
It is now a far from an ideal situation for Clement, as he is already without Nico Raskin, Ryan Jack and makeshift holding midfielder Tom Lawrence through injury.
If there was one position the Belgian could have done with no further absence, it was at the heart of his engine room and Cifuentes has now certainly risked Rangers being plunged into further crisis.
The midfielder was highly thought of when he made the move from LA FC, but he’s been a little bit inconsistent in a Light Blues shirt so far this season.
The 24-year-old was certainly the midfield weapon Rangers desperately needed when Beale brought him in from Los Angeles FC over the summer, providing much aggression, energy, cutting-edge and progressive play either from deep in midfield or in the advanced roles.
However, none of those characteristics have been on show since his move and before his sending off on Saturday, he looked well off the pace again.
As per SofaScore, the 24-year-old won just 42% of his total duels, successfully completed 0% of his crosses, lost possession ten times, completed just 77% of his passes and failed to register a key pass.
Cifuentes’ red card may well have been controversial with Ibrox icon Kenny Miller slamming the referee’s decision to send him off but it’s a situation the midfielder should not have found himself in given Rangers are already down to the bare bones in midfield but more crucially, his damning struggles at Ibrox.
The Gers are expected to undergo much change in the January window, with Clement desperate to overhaul the current squad, it could well be that Cifuentes is binned and replaced at Ibrox. Fans may well be running out of patience with him.
In other Rangers news, an opposition player appeared to take a swipe at the Gers after something that happened at the weekend.