Chris Jack warns Philippe Clement ahead of Rangers v St Johnstone
Chris Jack has warned Philippe Clement not to take any risks with his line-up as Rangers face St Johnstone at Ibrox on 20 December.
The Rangers Review journalist insisted the main men at Rangers must start despite the short turnaround from the Viaplay Cup final victory to avoid any slip-up in the title race.
Rangers currently sit five points behind Celtic at the top of the league, with two games in hand that would see them go top if they could win both – the first of which comes at Ibrox against St Johnstone.
“This is a game that Rangers simply must win,” wrote Jack for The Rangers Review [20 December].
“It is not a night for Clement to be taking risks with his selection. Start the main men, get the game won and then consider resting them should the situation allow.”
The winning run must continue
A streak of must-win games for Rangers began in Seville, where they beat Real Betis 3-2 to secure their progress in the Europa League by topping their group. This continued as they faced Aberdeen at Hampden Park in the Viaplay Cup final where, again, they were successful.
Now, a clash against St Johnstone at Ibrox has become the latest in a long line of must-win games as they attempt to close the gap to Celtic, and despite the ongoing injury crisis in Glasgow, rotation isn’t a luxury Clement can afford to take.
This will be Rangers’ third game in just seven days, with another quickly following when they play Motherwell on 24 December, but given the desperation to win all of their games, it is difficult to see when they can afford to rest players.
The likes of Abdallah Sima, Ross McCausland, John Lundstram, James Tavernier and Connor Goldson have been mainstays in the team, but as much as they are needed, Rangers cannot afford for them to add to the injury crisis.
Rotation will be necessary at some stage, but it must be managed and not put the quality of the team at risk if they are to make the most of their title chance.
In other Rangers news, Sky Sports are stuck in the middle of the Old Firm ticket dispute.