Philippe Clement served up ‘strange’ Rangers verdict as former Celtic star voices doubts over St Mirren surprise

Philippe Clement served up ‘strange’ Rangers verdict as former Celtic star voices doubts over St Mirren surprise

Charlie Mulgrew thought Philippe Clement’s decision to start Dujon Sterling out wide against St Mirren was’strange’.

However, fellow pundit Neil McCann refrained from joining on that bandwagon, believing that the eventual result may have been a stroke of genius. Rangers won 1-0 in Paisley thanks to another eye-catching goal from Cyriel Dessers, but Sterling, who began on the left of the front three, received the majority of the attention. He’s a right-back by trade and had recently impressed in a run of games in central midfield, but against St Mirren he looked out of place on the wing.

He lacked the deftness of touch of Rabbi Matondo and Scott Wright, and struggled with  one-on-ones when he had the ball. And former Celtic defender Mulgrew reckons playing him there was an odd decision by Clement.

He told Sportscene: “It was a bizarre decision. When you play with wingers, they must stay high and wide. Dujon Sterling isn’t a natural winger and doesn’t hug the touchline. We saw Cantwell replaced by McCausland in the European game because he kept moving inside, and Sterling seemed to do the same tonight.

“The position is important, especially when playing against a back five. Your forwards must pin them in, and I do not believe Rangers did so.

McCann agreed with most of that assessment, and believes Rangers lacked penetration with Sterling out wide. However, he believes there might have been some method in Clement’s madness, with the SMiSA Stadium surface impacting his selection to field a ‘robust’ starting XI.

He stated: “Sterling enjoys the game in front of him. He was excellent when used in the middle of the pitch, rising to the occasion and taking command of the game. However, the child (who is playing on the wing) finds it strange. We anticipate Matondo or Kent attacking players in open spaces. But when it comes to your feet…inventiveness was lacking for Rangers today.

“A long ball over the top for Dessers brought them joy. But we have to go to this man in the photo (Clement) and say, ‘Is that really clever management?’ Has he glanced at the surface, picked a strong side, and then scored three points?”

Get  more related news on https://dailysportnews.co.uk