Neil Lennon calls out ‘lazy’ Youssef Chermiti in Rangers vs Celtic coverage
Neil Lennon called Rangers striker Youssef Chermiti “lazy” during their Scottish Cup defeat to rivals Celtic on Sunday.
Last Sunday, Chermiti was in magnificent form for Rangers as he scored a brilliant brace to put Danny Rohl’s team two goals to the good at the break.
However, Celtic mounted a superb comeback at Ibrox thanks to second-half goals from Kieran Tierney and Reo Hatate as a Scottish Premiership thriller ended 2-2.
A week on from that epic contest, both teams couldn’t find a winner in normal time or extra time, as the game went to penalties.
Celtic then went on to win the shootout 4-2 to reach the last four.
Seven days ago, Lennon heaped praise on summer signing Chermiti, but he was far less effusive in his praise this time out after Rangers’ cup defeat.
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Youssef Chermiti struggles to live up to big-match player tag
Chermiti swapped Everton for Rangers last summer for £8million but for much of the season, the 21-year-old has underwhelmed.
However, the 6ft 4in forward has proven himself to be an excellent big-match player in the Scottish Premiership this campaign.
Indeed, eight of his nine goals this season have come against league leaders Hearts and bitter rivals Celtic, highlighting his frustrating consistency over 31 outings.
Chermiti was involved in a penalty shout early on against Celtic on Sunday, but those protests were waved away by referee Don Robertson.
In the second half, Chermiti’s energy levels were, naturally, dropping. In one instance, when a ball was fired up the pitch, the former Sporting CP man was flagged for offside after not getting back.
Speaking live on Premier Sports commentary, Lennon said: “That’s lazy from Chermiti, he doesn’t work hard enough to get back onside.”
Rangers made to pay for their profligacy against Celtic
Rangers missed the chance to take all three points against Celtic last Sunday, and they spurned the opportunity to progress to the next round against their bitter rivals again.
At the end of extra time, Rangers had 58 per cent possession and a whopping 24 shots to Celtic’s one. Jack Butland had virtually nothing to do, but Sinisalo only had two saves to make over the course of 120 minutes.
The Gers had a paltry six shots on target, highlighting why Rangers failed to break the deadlock against Celtic.
In the space of a week, Rangers have dropped to third in the Scottish Premiership after Celtic’s comeback, and now the Hoops have ended their Scottish Cup campaign, too.
Rohl’s side need to regroup and fast ahead of a Scottish Premiership trip to St. Mirren next Sunday, or they can wave goodbye to their entire season already.
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