Scott Allan moots James Tavernier at a crossroads as Rangers problem shared
Scott Allan believes Rangers captain James Tavernier is a problem defensively in big games and that is why he is a “crossroads” in the minds of supporters.
The right-back was being rotated in and out of the side with Dujon Sterling before injury kept the latter out of wins with St Johnstone and Kilmarnock before returning off the bench against Ross County, with Tavernier hitting a purple patch of form recently.
But with the Gers’ next two games set to come against two tough opponents in Tottenham and Celtic, Allan questioned whether the 33-year-old has the defensive nous to perform in big games.
“I just think when we go into James Tavernier when we isolate it against Celtic, he has been at fault for a lot of goals,” he said on the PLZ Soccer Show (11 December).
“Guys getting in on the blind side and it’s that time after time, that’s why you’re at a crossroads where many Rangers fans would maybe want to go for Dujon Sterling for instance who’s a more solid option.
“That’s the problem, I don’t think it’s the goals, I think it’s when they’re playing an opposition at the level of Celtic and a player with the traits of [Daizen] Maeda who’d be a problem for any player on his day, I think that’s what worries Rangers fans defensively in terms of the big games.”
Rangers can’t risk starting James Tavernier against Celtic
While the Rangers players may well be focused on beating Tottenham in their Europa League clash on Thursday, they still have the Scottish League Cup final to think about.
In the first Old Firm derby of the season back in September, Tavernier was turned inside out by the Bhoys’ attack, which seemed to start his downward spiral of form.
Since then, both Neryasho Kasanwirjo and Sterling have been deployed at right-back with the latter of the two showing that he has much more athleticism than the 33-year-old this term.
If Tavernier wants to keep his purple patch of form going, the best thing that he could do would be to sit out the game against Brendan Rodgers’ men and, instead, try and prove his worth against Tottenham.
While neither game is an ideal option for the right-back, with the Gers more or less guaranteed to get into the Europa League playoffs, it feels like they can risk the most against Tottenham.
In other Rangers news, Philippe Clement could make three changes to his starting XI against Tottenham.
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