James Tavernier says who was to blame for Rangers defeat, Philippe Clement must be fuming

Philippe Clement watched his team blow a one-goal lead against a team fighting relegation. Rangers decided to address all of the issues at once. There is never just one reason why a team loses games or plays poorly.

Few people voiced complaints about the starting lineup prior to kickoff. Dujon Sterling might have replaced Borna Barisic, but the former is still recovering from injury, along with several other team members.
The Rangers manager received a lot of backlash on social media for the loss at full time, but Philippe Clement is in no way to blame for the Dingwall mishap.

Rangers fight back against Philippe Clement

The team choice was excellent.

A defence that has played together a lot and an attacking midfield in harmony.

With Abdallah Sima joining the line from the beginning, the forward line also appeared more formidable.

We have been aggressive when we have the ball and have recovered it quickly and high up the park since Clement took over.

Nonetheless, the midfield has been lacking in performance in recent weeks, finding it difficult to play out from the back and exposed as soon as the ball is turned over.
Both with and without the ball, there are large gaps in the middle of the park, and John Lundstram, in particular, doesn’t seem to be where he’s needed.

How many times did Lundstram give up, mishandle a runner, or get caught ball watching in 2024?

Competent player? Indeed.

Six as a natural number? Not a chance.

Because the gaps were too great, there was no control. In the last third, Todd Cantwell was trying to do it all by himself and Lundstram was too far away from Kieran Dowell.

Control cannot be achieved when your midfield is 50 yards away.

Clement is limited in what he can accomplish with the same players.

🎙️ James Tavernier spoke to @RangersTV after today’s match against Ross County. pic.twitter.com/4aftgftRfm

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) April 14, 2024

We never experienced this issue under Clement, so it’s puzzling why it’s happening now.

James Tavernier outlined what the manager had told them during Clement’s post-match press conference, which suggested that he attempted to correct it without making any adjustments but that the players simply didn’t adjust because, if anything, it got worse:

“We disregarded the gaffer’s warning. In the second half, we got off to a really bad start. However, the game is over, and it’s clear that we’re disappointed in losing the points.

“We obviously need to step it up now for Wednesday and the rest of the season, as we have six games left to play.”
So, despite the manager’s warnings about their poor performance in the first half, the players chose to play even worse in the second half?

There is the forward line after that.

With his potential, Fabio Silva is a £35 million player who ought to be dominating these games, but when he isn’t given enough room to operate, he keeps flattering and tricking people.

About Cyriel Dessers, well.

We can discuss strategies and game plans all we want, but when your striker keeps missing easy opportunities, there isn’t much a manager can do because there isn’t a substitute who can start the game in his place.

Although Philippe Clement has a great deal of faith in his players, adjustments must be made in advance of Wednesday’s matchup with Dundee.

He’s not perfect today; the players have let him down miserably, but allowing some of them a second opportunity could have a similar outcome.