Glasgow Rangers failed to replicate their vibrant performance from midweek during the 1-0 victory over St Johnstone in the Premiership, but three points was all that mattered for the Ibrox side.
Despite this, the Light Blues still trail Celtic by 11 points in the title race. However, another win will boost confidence, and with a League Cup final coming up in a couple of weeks against their Old Firm rivals, building momentum is key.
Philippe Clement will be pleased with some of the performances on display in Perth on Sunday. They gave him plenty of food for thought ahead of the clash against Kilmarnock on Wednesday.
Rangers best performers vs St Johnstone
James Tavernier redeemed himself after a series of disappointing displays recently. The captain won nine of his ten duels during the contest while making six tackles, two key passes and succeeding with 100% of his dribble attempts.
Vaclav Cerny was another one who stood out. The winger is emerging as one of the best players in the squad. He may not have got on the scoresheet in Perth, but the on-loan gem took 67 touches, made four key passes and attempted two dribbles during the contest.
Accurate passes
Nicolas Raskin (81)
Dribble attempts
Benjamin Mbunga-Kimpioka (5)
Tackles
James Tavernier (6)
Interceptions
John Souttar, Connor Barron and Jason Holt (3)
Ground duels won
James Tavernier (8)
Key passes
Vaclav Cerny (4)
Both players linked up well on the right flank, yet not everyone performed to the standards required…
Robin Propper’s game in numbers vs St Johnstone
Robin Propper may have enjoyed his time in Europe in midweek, but Scottish football is a different breed, something that he hasn’t quite gotten to grips with as yet.
The £1.5m signing from FC Twente was supposed to be the replacement for Connor Goldson that every fan wanted. So far, he is looking like a waste of money.
The Dutchman was struggling with an injury issue during the first half, but he persisted until the break when Leon Balogun replaced him for the second period.
During the opening 45 minutes, Propper lost all of his duels, took just 26 touches and committed a foul. The defender failed to make a tackle or interception while failing to cope with the physicality that St Johnstone forwards Mackenzie Kirk and Benjamin Mbunga-Kimpioka brought to the table.
Whether his struggles were due to injury or not, Propper has not had the desired success that Clement indicated when he brought him to Scotland in the summer.
With Neraysho Kasanwirjo out for the next six months, it certainly looks like the manager will delve back into the transfer market for a new defender in January.
Before then, Propper must be dropped to the bench, especially with a crucial run of fixtures coming up in the next few weeks.
A partnership of John Souttar and Balogun could work well against Kilmarnock on Wednesday. Depending on the extent of Propper’s injury, Clement may not have a choice on who features in the heart of the defence.
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