Clement could drop £25m gem to unleash "awkward" star vs St Mirren
da fezbet： Glasgow Rangers now know their opponents in the last-16 of the Europa League following the draw on Friday afternoon.
da bwin： Fenerbahce will stand between the Ibrox side and a spot in the competition’s quarter-finals as José Mourinho travels to Scotland.
It promises to be a thrilling tie, and with the Gers playing the second leg at home, they hold the advantage as they seek a berth in the last eight.
The competition marks the only chance of winning any silverware in what has been a depressing campaign, recently culminating in the embarrassing Scottish Cup defeat to Queen’s Park a couple of weeks ago.
The Premiership title race is all but over, as Celtic are currently 13 points clear with just 12 games remaining as they close in on their fourth league crown in a row.
Philippe Clement will be lucky to be in a job next season, especially if the reported takeover by the 49ers goes through in the next couple of months.
This weekend, the Light Blues take on St Mirren at Ibrox, but they could trail top spot by 16 points by the time they kick-off.
Rangers team news against St Mirren
Rangers still have a few players out injured, notably in defence. Indeed, Dujon Sterling and Neraysho Kasanwirjo will likely be missing for the next few weeks.
Danilo has been missing for a few weeks due to suffering a shoulder injury against Aberdeen in January, but he could be back sooner rather than later.
“Danilo trained all week but still without contact, he will be back in normal contact training next week.” Said Clement prior to the Hearts clash last weekend.
The St Mirren game will perhaps come too soon for him to start, but a few minutes towards the end of the clash could be beneficial.
Aside from this, Clement appears to have a strong squad to choose from ahead of the domestic clash.
Chalkboard
Could he make a change or two from the 3-1 win last weekend, however? Especially as Hamza Igamane failed to demonstrate his true qualities against the Jambos.
Hamza Igamane has been poor recently for Rangers
Between December 1 and January 15, Igamane scored ten goals while chipping in with another two assists as he emerged as a key player for Clement throughout the festive season.
Since his goal against Aberdeen last month, the Moroccan has failed to score in any of the club’s previous six matches.
Igamane has arguably been one of the few bright sparks of an otherwise horrendous campaign and the club stands to rake in a significant profit on the centre-forward.
Following the Europa League game against Tottenham Hotspur in December, it was reported that Everton had sent scouts to monitor the former AS FAR player.
These links with the Toffees continued into the winter transfer window, but the Gers were certainly reluctant to sell one of their newfound prized assets, placing a staggering £25m price tag on his head to deter any clubs from making a move.
Against Hearts last week, he showed some nice touches, but has the recent transfer speculation gone to his head? Since the window closed, he hasn’t quite been at his best.
He completed just 58% of his passes against the Tynecastle side, while failing to get a shot on target and winning just six of his 12 ground duels throughout the game.
Could Clement drop him for the tie against St Mirren, restoring Cyriel Dessers to the starting XI instead?
Cyriel Dessers could start against St Mirren
The season before arriving at Ibrox, Dessers scored ten goals in all competitions, including six in Serie A, and this impressed Michael Beale.
Journalist Josh Bunting hailed the striker towards the end of that season, saying: “Cyriel Dessers has been an excellent signing for Cremonese, can honestly look back at the end of the season and said he’s tried in everything in his power to keep them up. He’s scored again as they lead against Empoli at the break. Just so awkward to play against with his strength.”
Not many of the Ibrox faithful would agree that he has been an excellent signing for Rangers. Yes, his goalscoring record is certainly impressive, netting 40 goals in 93 appearances, which works out as a goal every 2.3 games.
Add in 15 assists and it is clear the statistics appear solid. Performance-wise, however, Dessers has struggled. Last term, he missed a staggering 27 big chances in the Premiership.
He may be strong on the ball and willing to create chances for others, but Dessers simply lacks that clinical nature in front of goal.
He has scored against Manchester United this season with a well-taken effort, but recently, the Nigerian striker has been forced to watch from the bench due to Igamane’s form.
Comparing Dessers and Igamae this season (Premiership only)
Metric
Dessers
Igamane
Goals
8
9
Assists
2
1
Big chances created
2
5
Touches per game
15
33.6
Total duels won per game
1.9
3.9
Shots on target per game
0.8
1
He entered the pitch with 20 minutes to go against Hearts and looked lively. The player had a goal chalked off for offside, while he succeeded with one dribble, completed 100% of his passes and took 12 touches.
Journalist Cameron Willis gave Dessers a match rating of 7/10 for his cameo display, praising his hold-up play while also lauding how effective the centre-forward had been in the build-up to the crucial third goal.
Giving Igamane a rest this weekend by unleashing Dessers for his first start since the start of the month could be a possibility.
If so, he should be ready to take his chance, especially as Danilo looks close to a return to full fitness.
Is he the man to lead Rangers into their potentially new era under the 49ers? Probably not, but at this moment in time, Dessers could score a few between now and the end of the season.
The league title is out of reach, but if he performs in Europe, perhaps another excellent run in the competition could be on the cards.
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