Cerny to start? | Predicted 4-2-3-1 Rangers lineup versus Motherwell

Rangers won a tense 2-1 Premiership match at Hampden Park earlier this season

Rangers are no longer the second-best Premiership team after their defeat to Aberdeen on Wednesday night. The Dons share the league lead with Celtic, while the Gers, led by Philippe Clement, continue to struggle for rhythm and consistency. Another major test awaits them on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Hampden Park to face Motherwell in the Scottish League Cup semifinal.

The reigning Premier Sports Cup winners were expected to challenge Celtic for the Premiership title. Instead, they’ve only managed to maintain three points ahead of the fourth-placed Steelmen after ten gameweeks. The Hoops and Dons have a nine-point lead at the top of the table, and the Belgian manager must focus on Cup matches to have a chance of winning silverware.

Rangers’ Predicted 4-2-3-1 Lineup Against Motherwell

Defense
Despite saving Jamie McGrath’s penalty, Jack Butland was unable to secure a victory at Pittodrie Stadium. However, he has impressed between the sticks, since his secured ‘number one’ position prevents Liam Kelly from facing his former employers.

Despite being a ghost of his former self, skipper James Tavernier should be chosen over Neraysho Kasanwirjo due to his experience and leadership abilities. Veteran Leon Balogun has started the last three games, but he could give way to Robin Propper to prevent fatigue and fitness issues. John Souttar has solidified his position at the center of the backline. In addition, left fullback Jefte would return to the starting lineup in place of Ridvan Yilmaz, who is out injured.

The manager must decide whether to keep Connor Barron as the ‘number six’ or bring back Mohamed Diomande to play alongside him in the midfield. The Ivorian was an ineffective substitution against the Dons. Raskin, on the other hand, is a better fit as a deep-lying playmaker because of his aggression and technical abilities.

While Oscar Cortes and Rabbi Matondo heal from long-term injuries, summer additions Nedim Bajrami and Vaclav Cerny have improved depth, parity, and quality on the flanks. The latter was unable to play against Aberdeen due to a minor injury, but the manager expects to have him back for the weekend match. The in-form Czech wideman could replace Ross McCausland on the right, while Tom Lawrence should take the ‘number 10’ spot after scoring 5 goals and assisting on two more in 14 games across competitions.

Attack
Despite a strong start, Cyriel Dessers has struggled recently while leading the attack. He scored when these two teams met at Hampden earlier this season, and fans expect him to have a similar influence as he looks to retain his ‘number 9’ status ahead of Hamza Igamane.

The Glasgow Rangers are a struggling team. The club’s financial results for the preceding 12 months were revealed at the beginning of the week, when it was revealed that the Light Blues had lost about £17 million

This is in spite of the fact that a number of players were sold during the summer, and a few high-earning players were also released from their salary obligation. Although this news is a bit of a shock, the most terrifying part of the past few days wasn’t the match versus Aberdeen.

Before the match versus the Gers, Jimmy Thelin’s team had been the campaign’s best team. A victory over the Dons would have relieved the burden on Philippe Clement and possibly resulted in a return to form in the next

The visiting team only managed one attempt on goal in the second half as they sought all three points because Aberdeen played Clement’s team off the field.

The circle seems to go on forever. Giovanni van Bronckhorst was fired a year after Steven Gerrard left in 2021. Michael Beale was fired at the beginning of October of last year, and it appears that the Belgian is now the next to go.

The outlook for Philippe Clement at Rangers appears dire.

How did this happen? The 50-year-old saw a significant transformation upon his arrival at Ibrox in October 2023. After leading the team to the top of their Europa League group a few months later, Clement defeated Aberdeen 1-0 at Hampden to win the League Cup.

After an incredible return from an eight-point deficit a few months earlier, the Gers were even tied with Celtic at the top of the Premiership table at the beginning of March.

Although Rangers lost to Celtic twice and failed to win the league or the Scottish Cup, there were high expectations that the 2024–2025 season would be a good one for the team.

However, as of this writing, the Light Blues have only won six of their 10 games, falling nine points behind Aberdeen and the Parkhead team.

It is also more than just the outcomes. The results were lackluster because Clement’s team lacked a tactical philosophy, frequently used long balls, and did not capitalize on the abilities of a number of players.

It becomes increasingly likely that the Belgian will not be in charge for much longer after the midweek loss. Who will step in to take his place? Since the position isn’t precisely the most alluring endeavor in the world.

The players, some more than others, should be assessed, even though Clement is taking the brunt of the fans’ dissatisfaction over the performances and outcomes this season.

James Tavernier, a first-team player who was possibly the Gers’ best player the previous season, is now among the team’s worst underachievers this year.

In the summer, James Tavernier garnered attention.
During the summer transfer window, the 33-year-old appeared to be leaving Ibrox as several teams expressed interest in the defender.

In what may have been a lucrative offer for Clement, Steven Gerrard sought to bring the Rangers captain to the Middle East, but ultimately nothing came of it.

But Gerrard wasn’t the only former Gers manager who desired Tavernier. After taking over at Besiktas, Giovanni van Bronckhorst started to express interest at the beginning of June. After weeks passed with not even an offer, it was certain that the Englishman would stay with the team for the 2024–2025 season.

This season’s statistics for James Tavernier
The right back, who earns £30,000 a week, was outstanding in the closing third of the season. Throughout the season, Tavernier not only recorded 12 assists in all competitions but also scored 24 goals.

The captain was in excellent form with his engagement at the top end of the field, as evidenced by the fact that his 36 goal contributions were five more than those of Cyriel Dessers, the next-highest player on the list with 31.

Tavernier has only made 31% of his dribble attempts in the top division, has a 79% pass success rate, and has lost possession 20.5 times on average per game. He doesn’t seem to be as sharp with the ball as he once was, and he isn’t contributing as much going forward.

Tavernier’s tenure with the team may be coming to an end, according to former football player turned BBC pundit Rory Loy, who said earlier this season: “It just feels like it’s come to a natural conclusion.” Rangers run the risk of that poisonous energy continuing if they hang onto him.

It’s concerning that he hasn’t been very reliable this season, in my opinion. His body language doesn’t seem to be the same as it was in years past, in my opinion. He simply seems like a different person to you.

“So far this season, he has not been a goal scorer. He seemed unhappy. Sometimes all you have to do is acknowledge that it might be time.

Therefore, Rangers must ruthlessly bin Tavernier from the club alongside Clement if they decide that they need to go in a new direction moving forward.