Charlie Mulgrew and Neil McCann, pundits for BBC Sport, have questioned a tactical choice made by Rangers manager Philippe Clement against St Mirren.

For Saturday’s 1-0 victory in Paisley, Clement chose to deploy Dujon Sterling, who plays mostly full-back, as a left-sided attacker in a 4-2-3-1 configuration.

Mulgrew questions Clement‘s decision to put the former Chelsea player in that position as Sterling struggled for most of the game and was eventually substituted by Rabbi Matondo, a more natural wide winger.

“I thought that was a strange decision,” he said on BBC Scotland’s Sportscene [27 January, 8pm]. “When you play with wingers, they have to stay high and wide, and Dujon Sterling is not a natural winger.

“We’ve already seen Todd Cantwell being taken off earlier in the season in a European game because he kept drifting inside – Sterling kept doing that today. It’s a position that’s vital, especially when playing against a back five.”

“The decision to play Sterling as a forward is unfair,” McCann concurred. A forward player accustomed to playing with his back to the goal is the intended recipient of this ball into him.

“But maybe we have to go to this guy here [Clement] and ask ‘is that clever management? Have you looked at the surface and seen it’s bobbly?’.

Incompetent

It was evident that Sterling did not feel at ease in his chosen position as he frequently had to receive passes from the holding midfielders far from the goal.

He was more of a central player and didn’t seem to know what to do with the ball when he got it, as opposed to being played in behind.

The 24-year-old’s 47 touches [WhoScored] indicate how little involvement he had in the game, and he was dispossessed more than anyone else (three times).

It’s obvious that Clement intended to attempt something different there, but Matondo must be thinking how he might obtain the go-ahead to attack instead.

Tom Lawrence was also brought on from the replacements’ bench at the halfway point.

It didn’t really matter in the end because Rangers won thanks to a goal from Cyriel Dessers. Nevertheless, Clement could need to start over based on this performance.

Read more news…https://sportupdates.co.uk