Rangers boss Philippe Clement has been praised by pundit Michael Stewart for his treatment of striker Cyriel Dessers on Sunday afternoon.
Rangers are into the Viaplay Cup final after beating Hearts 3-1 at Hampden Park on Sunday afternoon.
James Tavernier and Scott Wright put Rangers 2-0 up before Tavernier added number three, rendering a late Hearts goal as nothing more than a consolation.
Rangers will now face Aberdeen in the final, giving Philippe Clement a golden chance to land his first trophy as Gers boss.
Philippe Clement praised for Cyriel Dessers approach
This has been a great start under Clement, recording four wins in four domestic games since taking the job last month.
Clement is still learning about his players and getting his idea across, which may mean taking a hard line with some players.
One moment towards the end of Sunday’s win saw striker Cyriel Dessers failing to press the Hearts back line.
The game may have been done but Clement showed the relentless mindset Rangers need by hammering Dessers on the sideline, telling him to show more off the ball.
The moment was spotted by pundit Michael Stewart, who told Viaplay that Clement’s attitude is that of a ‘no-nonsense’ manager.
Stewart added that he also saw Clement going over to put an arm around Dessers and address him one-to-one, showing an impressive personal touch rather than just yelling at the Rangers striker.
“He strikes me as a no-nonsense manager,” said Stewart. “As much as he’s not up or down when he’s getting interviewed, we saw him at the side of the park on a few occasions, and he was making his point pretty clear, particularly with Cyriel Dessers towards the end of the game where he wasn’t getting across, he wasn’t pressing when the had been played down the line.”
“The thing I like about it as well was, after the game, he was on the park talking to Dessers, he had his arm around him and he was obviously explaining to him what he was trying to say. As a player, perhaps you would have been a little bit upset or miffed or a bit angry that he’s been so demonstrative at the side of the park, but he’s come on and spoken to him privately, one-to-one, and obviously calmed the situation down. He seems like what you would class as a proper football manager,” he added.
Dessers has a big challenge on his hands at Rangers
When you pay £5.6million for a striker approaching 29, the expectation is that they will hit the ground running and make an immediate impact in front of goal.
Dessers has chipped in with five goals and three assists this season but his performance levels just haven’t been up to scratch.
That is why Dessers now finds himself on the bench with Danilo emerging as Clement’s first-choice striker at Rangers.
Dessers has shown his goalscoring ability in the past and now needs to take every single opportunity he receives under Clement.
That means taking chances in front of goal, linking up play effectively and – clearly – pressing opposition defences until the very end.
Dessers must start getting all of that right to force his way into Clement’s side, which will not be an easy challenge.
