Clement ‘watching through his fingers’ after double Rangers blow before Celtic
Philippe Clement was left “watching through his fingers” after his Rangers side were hit by a major set back against Tottenham, James McFadden has said.
The Gers will be looking to get their hands on the first major silverware of the season when they aim to defend their League Cup title against their great rivals at Hampden Park on Sunday (15 December).
Before that Clement’s side had to deal with the small matter of a clash with Tottenham in the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday night.
Rangers though, were unable to come through that clash with the Premier League side unscathed, with centre-back John Souttar forced off through a non-contact injury after just 35 minutes.
That saw Leon Balogun come on to replace him alongside Robin Propper in the centre of defence, and McFadden believes that will have given Clement a lot to worry about ahead of that final with the Scot hurt and the Nigerian veteran unrested.
Speaking about Souttar’s injury on BBC Radio 5 Live (8:34pm), the former Scotland international said: “The biggest concern here is it’s John Souttar that’s down for Rangers. He’s been probably their best player this season, most consistent.
“Before the game we were thinking massive game on Sunday, were there any players potentially that needed resting? I don’t think John Souttar would have been one but he’s certainly one you’d come into this game worried about and so it’s not great… the bigger picture, to be ready for Sunday’s massive game…
“John Souttar just passes the ball so I don’t know if he’s felt something slightly in his groin, his hip flexor. Maybe it is just precaution, but again, Leon Balogun was one without doubt for me that was rested tonight to keep him fresh for Sunday’s final, so it’s not ideal on both counts.
“Now Philippe Clement, you’ll be watching this game through your fingers with your defensive options at the minute.”
Hamza Igamane smashed Rangers into a 46th-minute lead but Dejan Kulusevski pegged the hosts back late on.
Rangers have big defensive concerns ahead of Celtic Cup final
Football Insider Opinion
This injury setback suffered by the Gers against Tottenham gives them more than one thing to worry about for that clash with Celtic.
A big concern will be the potential absence of Souttar, who has been excellent throughout the course of the campaign meaning his influence will be a miss.
It also means that at 36-years-old, playing this game means that Balogun will not get the rest Rangers may have hoped to give him before the final.
That ensures he will not be as fresh as they would have wanted, potentially alongside someone who has struggled this season in the form of Propper.
After a tough start to the campaign, claiming silverware in the League Cup against Celtic on Sunday may well have helped Clement ease some of the pressure on himself at Ibrox.
But these defensive blows suffered at Tottenham will make it a lot harder for them to get that victory at Hampden.
In other news, a Leeds United player is keen to make the move to Ibrox in the January transfer window.
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