Philippe Clement isn’t having much luck over the holidays. The Rangers boss may face a selection issue for the New Year Old Firm game against Celtic on 2 January due to injuries or suspensions for key players.
The Ibrox club is licking its wounds after losing 2-1 to top six contenders St Mirren in Paisley on Boxing Day, leaving them 12 points behind Brendan Rodgers’ Premiership pacesetters.
The Gers will next face a difficult match against Motherwell. Clement will be hoping his team can get through the 90 minutes uninjured and with three valuable points in hand before turning their attention to their Ibrox confrontation with the all-conquering Hoops.
Leon Balogun, an experienced centre-back, suffered a calf/achilles injury against the Buddies and joined fellow defenders John Souttar and Neraysho Kasanwirjo in the treatment room.
It leaves the Belgian manager with only two out-and-out central defensive options: Robin Propper and Leon King, neither of whom has convinced and is too favoured by Clement. Even with the versatile Dujon Sterling in the mix, Clement is frighteningly weak in a key area, and transfer business in January is almost certainly on the horizon.
If that wasn’t enough of a worry, four players are also on a suspension tightrope coming into the Celtic encounter, with Scottish FA guidelines stating that if a player receives six cautions, they will face an immediate one-game ban.
Nicolas Raskin (5), Robin Propper (4), Dujon Sterling (4), and Jefte (4) are Rangers players who are currently skating on thin ice and risk exceeding the yellow card count threshold by getting into trouble with match referees.
It was for this reason that in-form midfielder Raskin did not start against St Mirren, with Clement plainly keen to limit the possibility of another of his top performers receiving a further booking, rendering him unavailable for selection.
As a result, Clement may be compelled to take a cautious approach against Motherwell on Sunday, with players such as Connor Barron, Ridvan Yilmaz, and King set to receive much-needed playing experience.
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