Philippe Clement issues ‘really embarrassing’ Rangers verdict after John Lundstram red v Celtic
Philippe Clement has praised his Rangers side for continuing to fight with a man disadvantage in the 2-1 defeat at Celtic.
The Ibrox boss told Sky Sports Scotland on 13 May that the title was now a “really, really long shot” after the Old Firm derby, and indicated that even beating Dundee in the next game is now a “huge task” with 11 players missing, but highlighted the positive second-half reaction at Parkhead after John Lundstram had been sent off.
Despite conceding a penalty soon after the break, which was saved by Jack Butland, Rangers arguably competed more when a man down than they had with 11 against 11, as they avoided what Clement claimed could have been a “really embarrassing” game.
In assessing the failure to get a result at Parkhead the Gers boss attributed it to “some individuals were not sharp enough in the duels” while pointing to the expected goals at half time being relatively even before Lundstram’s red card delivered a major blow.
He said: “It makes a really big difference if you have to play with 10. Second half, you know, it’s much more difficult for every team in the world.
“But the positive side is that the team stayed resilient and kept on fighting to get a result, to survive, because going down in that moment you can get a really embarrassing game against 11 players who want to kill you in that moment.”
Asked directly about Lundstram’s foul the Belgian said that the midfield “knows he made a mistake, because I don’t want those kind of tackles”, admitting the error was a “really decisive” one.
Too little too late for Rangers at Parkhead
Clement has shown that he isn’t the sort of manager to publicly blast his players so his relatively measured comments on Lundstram are possibly as critical as he would get.
The exit-bound Englishman has been virtually ever-present for the Belgian since the latter arrived in Glasgow, and for some time was justifying that status, but a late-season collapse in form was topped off in nightmare fashion with his own goal and sending off in the derby.
It is true that Rangers put up a decent fight in the second half, but it is becoming a running theme that they first have to dig themselves a hole against their rivals before doing so, and it invariably proves to be too big to climb out of.
Piling onto Lundstram alone would be unfair as the ex-Sheffield United man will know more than anyone how damaging his performance proved to be, and there were others who underperformed on the day.
Clement himself can’t escape criticism himself for neglecting to set up his midfield adequately, and for relying on Lundstram so heavily when he hasn’t performed for a while.
Even if the squad, which he has now confirmed is set for substantial changes in the transfer market, was filled with injured absentees, the pattern was depressingly familiar.
Aside from a couple of embarrassing thrashings at Parkhead over the past couple of years there has often been positive elements from Old Firm derbies, but the what-ifs and the nearly moments mean little when the points aren’t on the board and the trophies end up on the other side of the city.
Clement has to address the deficiencies or the plus points will be useless, and activity is now under way to overhaul the squad once more.
In other Rangers news, the best player at Ibrox could now be on the way out of the club in the summer.
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