Whatever Philippe Clement says in the coming days is going to annoy Rangers fans due to the nature of the defeat against Aberdeen.
Pre-match, he spoke about intensity and aggression, and yet, there was none of that in the first-half until after the home side had opened the scoring and missed a penalty.
There is only so much a manager can say to his squad before a game, however, one of Clement’s biggest problems is that the man he trusts to lead Rangers on the pitch, is letting him down.
Numbers don’t add up as James Tavernier costs Rangers again
It’s been the same all season, James Tavernier has stopped offering a threat in the attacking third which makes his defensive frailties all the more exposed.
Against Aberdeen, he had a horror show, despite Sofascore’s rating of 7.9 making him Rangers highest rated outfield player.
There is no point blocking four shots, making four interceptions and winning 6/8 duels if, when your team needs you most, you are found wanting.
Despite the impressive numbers on the statistics site, Tavernier had a torrid evening and was lucky to get 3/10 on Rangers News player ratings.
Every long ball saw Duk pose a threat in behind even when the odds were stacked firmly against the Dons winger.
Had it not been for his teammates, Rangers could easily have been two goals behind before the opening goal due to Tavernier losing battles he should have won.
Defensive lapse could cost Clement his job
For the winning goal, Tavernier had all the time in the world to put the ball out of play for a throw in or for a corner kick, allow the defence to reset and go again.
Instead, inexplicably, the 33-year old has tried to control the ball in a congested penalty area, only to lay the ball off to Nicky Devlin whose shot across the goal fell kindly to Shayden Morris via a helping hand off the post.
With Rangers the better team in the second-half, all Tavernier had to do was make the clearance and there was still a chance that three points could be secured.
He didn’t, and it is another example of the statistics saying one thing, but Rangers fans seeing something that the manager must deal with, or face the inevitable consequences.
