Chris Sutton loses his mind over what he saw Rangers do – ‘Devastating’
Rangers were “devastating” on the counter-attack in the first half of their 3-3 draw at Hibernian on Sunday, Chris Sutton has said.
Speaking on Sky Sports Football (5 January, 12:15pm), Sutton was in awe of the speed at which the Light Blues were breaking in the early stages at Easter Road, as Jack Iredale’s block denied Vaclav Cerny.
Philippe Clement’s side were already 1-0 up through Hamza Igamane and the Moroccan soon grabbed a double, but the Gers were unable to hold on in the second half despite Igamane completing his hat-trick.
Sutton said: “[Jack] Iredale did really well, [to] block the line of the cross. Cerny, shifting onto his right foot, the deflection from Iredale allows Smith to gather, but Rangers look devastating on the break.”
Philippe Clement unlocks best Rangers attribute v Hibernian
While the Bears are expected to dominate possession in their matches against most Premiership and domestic opposition, the presence of players like Cerny and Jefte does give them the option of raw pace.
Cerny’s speed out wide has been utilised to brilliant effect this term, cutting inside to strike for goal or going around the outside to provide crosses into the box, and he did just that to set up Igamane’s third.
In Europe, however, Clement’s side have been much better able to exploit teams on the counter attack given their smaller shares of possession, catching many sides unawares with rapid back-to-front moves.
Exploiting such styles of play in domestic matches, such as against an in-form, front-footed Hibs side on Sunday, worked to devastating effect in the first half, with Igamane scoring twice inside 19 minutes.
In the second half though, Hibs gaining more control of the ball saw the visitors stop moving it forward anywhere near as quickly, and despite Cerny’s best efforts, Hibs were able to salvage a point.
In other Rangers news, Clement has been urged to meet with his managerial counterpart for a discussion on “crisis management”.
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