Philippe Clement substituted Rangers captain James Tavernier against Lyon in the Europa League, and it wasn’t the first time this season that the captain of the Gers looked subpar. At Ibrox on Thursday night, the Bears fell to the French team 4-1. The consensus among pundits was that there was a significant difference in talent between the two teams.
Tavernier was savagely criticized by Tam McManus following the game because of his awful performance against Lyon. The well-known pundit thought Philippe Clement made the right decision in benching the Gers captain because he was awful during the match.
Keith Jackson, writing for the Daily Record, has claimed that Tavernier looked “miles off” this season on multiple occasions and that Dujon Sterling need to be given regular opportunities.
Keith Jackson’s comments regarding James Tavernier, the Rangers captain According to Jackson, Tavernier was vulnerable against Lyon’s Malick Fofana from the first whistle, forcing Clement to substitute him in the 61st minute. “The manager had to make a change because Tavernier was in a lot of trouble against Malick Fofana right from the beginning,” he stated.
However, this season hasn’t been the first for the captain to appear completely out of control. Allowing Dujon Sterling the opportunity to claim the role as his own is important. Rangers need to make wise use of Tavernier and Sterling.
Sterling left Chelsea for Ibrox in the summer of 2023. The 24-year-old made 27 appearances across all competitions last season, mostly serving as Tavernier’s backup. He has made six appearances in the Scottish Premiership this season, however he has only started two of them.
It’s time for Clement to start using Sterling frequently now that Tavernier is no longer a significant player. Tavernier was strongly connected to leaving the Glasgow team during the summer, but his intended move to Turkey never happened.
Even though he has served the team well and has a wealth of experience as a defender, there is now no need to start him on a regular basis.
The experienced defender may still be a crucial element of the team, and Clement must now recognize that Tavernier cannot just start week in and week out, and definitely not in big Europan games.
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