‘Unfair’ – BBC Sport pair question Clement over ‘Strange’ Rangers decision

BBC Sport pundits Charlie Mulgrew and Neil McCann have questioned

Rangers manager Philippe Clement’s tactical decision against St Mirren.

For the 1-0 win in Paisley on Saturday (27 January), Clement chose to play Dujon Sterling,

a natural full-back, as a left-sided attacker in a 4-2-3-1 system.

Sterling struggled for the majority of the game before being substituted

by more natural wide man Rabbi Matondo late on,

but Mulgrew is puzzled why Clement chose the former Chelsea star in that position in the first place.

“I thought that was a strange decision,” he stated on BBC Scotland’s Sportscene [January 27, 8pm].

“When playing with wingers, they must stay high and wide, and Dujon Sterling is not a natural winger.”

“We saw Todd Cantwell be pulled off earlier this season in a European game because he kept drifting inside,

and Sterling did the same tonight. It’s an important position, especially when up against a back five.

McCann concurred, saying, “The decision to play Sterling in a forward position is unjust.

This ball into him here is intended for a forward who is accustomed to playing with his back to the goal.

“But maybe we should go to this guy here [Clement] and say, ‘Is that clever management?

Have you noticed the surface is bobbly?

Ineffective

Sterling was visibly uneasy with the position he was given,

frequently picking up passes from holding midfielders far from the goal.

Rather than being played in behind,

he was positioned more centrally and did not appear to know what to do with the ball when it arrived.

The 24-year-old struggled to get engaged in the game, as evidenced by his 47 touches [WhoScored],

and he was dispossessed more than anyone else (three).

Clement certainly wanted to attempt something new in that area,

but Matondo must be wondering what he can do to gain the nod in attack instead.

Similarly, Tom Lawrence was called upon from the replacements’ bench around the halfway point.

Finally, it didn’t matter because Rangers won thanks to Cyriel Dessers’ goal.

However, based on his performance, Clement may need to start over.

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