Clement must now ditch 5/10 man who may have cost Rangers the title

Clement must now ditch 5/10 man who may have cost Rangers the title

Spineless, gutless, lethargic. Three words out of many which sum up the performance of Glasgow Rangers against Dundee on Wednesday evening.

The 0-0 draw might not have ended their chances of winning the Premiership in an official capacity, but two dreadful performances in a row indicate this group of players are not up for the challenge.

The Light Blues managed only five shots on target throughout the entire match, despite having 65% of possession, which is further evidence that Philippe Clement needs to overhaul his first-team squad in the summer.

Far too many of the senior players – Connor Goldson, James Tavernier, and John Lundstram – were posted missing in action yet again, especially when a reaction was needed after the defeat to Ross County.

Lundstram, in particular, was way below par at Dens Park and continued performances like this could see him released at the end of the season.

John Lundstram’s game in numbers vs Dundee

The midfielder has missed just one match since Clement took over at the Ibrox side, but after Wednesday evening’s performance, he should be dropped for the remaining games.

His performance led to a match rating of 5/10 by Glasgow World, but in truth, it should have been lower given how little influence he had on the game.

John Lundstram’s stats vs Dundee

Accurate passes

82/94

Total duels (won)

7 (3)

Key passes

2

Dribbled past

2

Possession lost

12

Via Sofascore

The former Sheffield United midfielder won only three of his seven contested duels throughout the clash, while losing possession 12 times as he struggled during his one-on-one battles.

He may have taken 104 touches, yet he failed to do much with any of them, setting the tone for the rest of the midfield as the Gers struggled to create any genuine clear-cut chances.

The 30-year-old was even dribbled past on two occasions by a Dundee team well worth their performance, as they could easily have grabbed a winner.

John Lundstram’s future is unclear at Rangers

During the opening few months of Clement’s reign, the Englishman was replicating the form he showed during the club’s run to the 2022 Europa League final, as he was dominating opponents in the heart of the midfield.

In recent weeks, however, this intensity has disappeared. He failed to track the Ross County left-back prior to him scoring their second goal on the weekend, contributing to the Gers’ eventual defeat.

Clement is limited in his choices with regard to midfielders, but the summer transfer window should hopefully see seismic change at Ibrox.

Lundstram’s contract expires in the next few weeks and while previously it looked as though he would be the only player offered an extension out of the six players out of contract, this may no longer be the case.

The Belgian looks like he could have a busy summer ahead, but the first thing on his to-do list must be releasing the players out of contract in order to free up some of the wage budget.

Lundstram’s displays against County and now Dundee prove he doesn’t have the mentality for a title chase and this simply cannot be tolerated next season.

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