Philippe Clement must hook ‘Clumsy’ Mohamed Diomande at half-time v Celtic, he could cost Rangers the title
Philippe Clement must look to substitute Mohammed Diomande at half-time of the big Old Firm clash between Rangers and Celtic at Parkhead.
The Gers find themselves 2-1 down to their fierce rivals at half-time, with Matt O’Riley scoring towards the end of the opening 45 minutes with a fine strike before a John Lundstram own goal just two minutes later. Cyriel Dessers then found a huge goal a minute after that to bring the
The manager will need to find a way to shake things up at half-time, and it’s clear that must come in midfield after the way the first half panned out.
A late red card for John Lundstram in the half has made things more complicated, but even still it’s Diomande who has to come off.
Clement must take Diomande off the pitch
The January midfield signing has been good since his arrival at Ibrox earlier this season, but he has struggled with the qualities of the Celtic midfield in this game.
Diomande made two fouls early on in the half and found himself being given a final warning, with Chris Sutton labelling him “clumsy” on commentary for Sky Sports (11 May) which only helped the hosts to cement their dominance as the game went on.
His passing was okay, but he managed just eight completed passes and lost possession three times. He also failed to win a single ground duel [via SofaScore], which sums up his day.
If Rangers are to get back into the game and claim the title this season then they need to be more offensive and get control of the game, and that means Clement must shore things up in the centre of the pitch.
Diomande has to come off as he’s offering nothing to help the side. Todd Cantwell and Ross McCausland are both on the bench, and either could come into the team with Dujon Sterling moving into a more central role.
Either way, if Clement wants to turn this game around he must take the 22-year-old off.
In other Rangers news, Nils Koppen leading transfer charge with advanced talks underway.
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