Rangers: Chris Sutton destroys ‘casual’ James Tavernier for what he did in Old Firm clash v Celtic
Rangers captain James Tavernier has been slammed by Chris Sutton for his “casual” defending in the Light Blues’ Old Firm derby showdown with Celtic.
Philippe Clement’s side missed the opportunity to move to the top of the Scottish Premiership as they drew 3-3 with the Hoops on Sunday (7 April) with Rabbi Matondo rescuing a point with a stunning late strike.
Celtic winger Daizen Maeda broke the deadlock after a matter of seconds as he quickly closed down Tavernier to strike past Jack Butland and Sutton was quick to criticise the Gers’ right-back for dallying on the ball.
Speaking on Sky Sports Football (7 April, 12:02) he said: “We said before the game this would be a key battle, Maeda against James Tavernier. This is the perfect start isn’t it for Celtic?
“Just one long ball does for Rangers. Tavernier just dallies and Maeda is onto him. It flys past Jack Butland who has no chance. Causal from Tavernier and Celtic in front.”
Will Rangers beat Celtic to the title after James Tavernier mistake?
Rangers need their best players to up their game against Celtic if they want to lift the Scottish Premiership this season. Too often this season, the biggest stars in Clement’s side have gone missing when their team needs them most.
At Parkhead earlier this year it was Todd Cantwell who was slammed for being anonymous as the game passed him by and while Tavernier had an alright game barring his major mistake, he didn’t switch on early enough.
As he did in the last Old Firm meeting, Tavernier managed to get on the scoresheet to positively impact the Gers at the top end of the pitch. He has been Mr Reliable so far this season, but he won’t ditch his serial loser tag if he continues to produce moments of madness like that.
Hopefully, the Englishman will be able to quickly put the mistake behind him as the Gers still have plenty to play for between now and the end of the season. One error won’t define Rangers’ or Tavernier’s campaign.
In other Rangers news, Sam Lammers has been tipped to leave Ibrox in a £1.5million move to Utrecht this summer
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