Rangers scraped past Hearts in a game that was nervier than it should have been, primarily because of the home side’s inability to capitalise on opportunities to finish the game off.
Philippe Clement was happy with the result at Ibrox but wasn’t happy with the performance despite having a nearly fully fit squad.
One player who frustrated once again was James Tavernier who the Rangers manager criticised for one aspect of his display in particular.
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Philippe Clement nails what James Tavernier did wrong for Rangers
What doesn’t help the captain, is that Dujon Sterling showed against Olympiacos that he can give wingers a five-yard head start and still catch them, Hearts knew that Tavernier doesn’t have this recovery pace and exploited him.
To make matters worse, the Gers No.2 gave the ball away repeatedly, when asked for his assessment of the skipper’s afternoon, Clement said:
“That it was also in ups and downs. He had a few really good moments.
“He had a really good shot also in the second half. We were unlucky that it got blocked.
“There were also moments that defensively it could have been better for me. We’re going to work hard on that with all the team.
“There was not one player today who only had highs. So, it was a performance too much with ups and downs.
“We need to get still more consistency to kill these games off and that’s the most important.”
What can Clement do to fix Tavernier situation?
At 33-years old, Tavernier isn’t going to improve defensively.
With the Premier Sports Cup final on the other side of the international break, Rangers need to be more solid at the back than they have been in recent Old Firm derbies if they are to be successful.
Despite facing him for three seasons, Tavernier still struggles with Daizen Maeda, that isn’t going to change.
Sterling, on the other hand, is Rangers best one v one defender and has the sort of pace and physicality needed to match the Japan international.
Clement has identified the problem, he also has an easy solution available to him, not taking it will only intensify the pressure on his position.
