Glasgow Rangers made hard work of securing their first Premiership win of the season as Philippe Clement’s men began to falter during the second half.
The 2-1 win over Motherwell at Hampden Park was a very Jekyll and Hyde display; strong in the first half, lethargic and underwhelming during the second period.
A win is a win, but improvements will need to be made when Dynamo Kyiv travel to Glasgow on Tuesday evening for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier.
Vaclav Cerny looked sharp on his first start for the Light Blues, scoring a delightful curling effort, and this injection of quality is exactly why Clement brought him to the club in the first place.
A couple of players were off the pace, however, most notably Tom Lawrence, who was starting his third match in a row.
Tom Lawrence’s game in numbers vs Motherwell
It looks as though Lawrence is finally over his injury issues that plagued his first season at Ibrox, with Clement unleashing him as his number ten against Hearts, Dynamo Kyiv and Motherwell.
His display at Hampden on Saturday afternoon was lacking the dynamism required to unlock the Steelmen’s defence as he managed to take just 27 touches during his time on the pitch, seven fewer than Jack Butland, completing just 16 of his 20 attempted passes also.
Touches
27
Accurate passes
16/20
Key passes
0
Big chances created
0
Possession lost
7
Total duels (won)
7 (2)
Going forward, Lawrence failed to make a key pass, had zero shots on target and created zero big chances. The Welshman even struggled to dominate his one-on-one battles, winning just two of his seven total duels along with losing possession seven times in just under an hour.
He looked tired, and it was clear that Clement must go with someone else in this position against Kyiv in midweek. The question is, who could that be?
The player who could replace Tom Lawrence
Mohamed Diomande has formed a solid midfield duo alongside Connor Barron in the heart of the pitch across the first three games of the season, but is there scope for Clement to push him further forward against Kyiv?
Against Motherwell, Diomande showcased his attacking qualities. Not only did he make two key passes, including setting up the opener from Dessers, but he succeeded with two of his three dribble attempts and created one big chance.
This could give the Belgian plenty of licence to tweak his starting XI next week in a bid to add something extra to his attack.
A 1-1 draw puts the Gers in a solid position, but they will have to be better than what they were against Motherwell on Saturday afternoon, that’s for certain.
There are still a few weeks left of the summer transfer window in which Clement can bring in another few signings to bolster his squad.
Against Kyiv, Lawrence should be dropped in favour of Diomande as the latter man can offer something totally different going forward.
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ByDan EmeryAug 8, 2024
