Clement will have learned a lot about his team at Hampden and strengthening the forward line must be his priority.
Dujon Sterling is a player that Philippe Clement has that can perform exceptionally well in a variety of roles and never let you down. It’s also impressive that Sterling, who is 24 years old, is able to handle the rigors of playing for the Rangers in his debut season.
No matter where he has been played, the guy is a “seven out of ten” every week at the very least. Sterling was once again quite effective on Sunday.
He is not a right winger, though, and I do not see him using that position a lot in the upcoming campaign.
Because the Rangers need a right-winger playing right wing if they’re going to be in a cup final, a league decider, the beginning of the following season, or anything else.
That’s what has to be dealt with. Then, with his best qualities in the right place, Sterling can be the best player imaginable. It’s critical that he settles here and can establish himself as a top player in the environment in which he feels most at ease after a year here. It may very well be right-back.
And that means there’s more room for the boy to improve on a strong debut season. It’s unjust that he started in central midfield against Real Betis in the League Cup Final and at left back, right center back like in the most recent Old Firm encounter.
Additionally, he has been used on an attacking three’s flanks! Well done, sir. I agree with manager Clement that Rangers’ performance against Celtic yesterday was their greatest thus far under his leadership, and Sterling was undoubtedly a plus in that regard.
Rangers changed the game to what they needed it to be in order to have the best chance of winning. They had to disrupt the game’s flow, battle like scrappy players, and not let up like they had in the past encounters.
That was the goal, and it was succeeding. In ninety minutes, there was hardly any chance at either end and little between the teams. But Clement’s focus for the upcoming year will be on how Rangers can exert more force and gain greater control over the derby.
Mo Diomande, who is expected to sign a permanent contract next season, had, in my opinion, his best all-around performance against Celtic.
Hopefully, this indicates that he is maturing and learning because he seemed a little lost in the two derbies before. In the midst of a cup final, he displayed aggression by taking Celtic to task and disrupting their game. He additionally had the stamina and strength to lead the battle in an offensive manner.
In addition to having a strong work ethic, drive, and resolve, he also demonstrated quality. Can he build upon this experience in his fifth month with the Rangers? We made similar comments about Todd Cantwell and Nico Raskin during the previous season, so it’s difficult to go down that path.
I don’t think either had the kind of season we expected considering how well they concluded a year ago, even though there might still be some positives. You would think Diomande would be more prepared for what the Scottish game has in store. Although we haven’t seen much of Raskin under Clement, his performance at Hampden was respectable.
He and John Lundstram faced off in the discussion, and I thought it was wise to side with Raskin, who showed growth as a player. Still, it was obvious that he was pushing Joe Hart. With VAR, you can’t get away with that anymore. I think that was the proper decision.
Rangers appeared to have a better chance of scoring after one hour. However, the result was a draw determined by one mistake that was penalized, and Rangers had little opportunity to reply due to timing.
Cup final defeats can occur by such narrow margins. Even if the Rangers had won, Ibrox would have undergone significant alterations. In 2023–2024, they gave Celtic five chances, but they were unable to overcome them.
Clement will be aware of his desires. Additionally, they require greater quality in the latter third, which has been lacking all season. Clement’s first goal will be to strengthen that attacking line, which needs to be done.
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