It was a satisfying way to round off a challenging week for Rangers as they eased to a 2-0 victory over St Mirren at Ibrox over the weekend.
The win maintains them eight points behind Celtic in the Premiership, but they still have a game left to play, and three points would pull them closer to the lead.
Although Philippe Clement is still unbeaten as the team’s manager, the team’s run of consecutive 1-1 draws with Aberdeen and Aris Limassol seemed to end, as both games’ performances lacked coherence.
But against Paisley, the Belgian changed up his starting lineup, and the team won easily. Todd Cantwell was used in his natural attacking midfield position.
The manager revealed that Nico Raskin will almost certainly miss the League Cup final against Aberdeen in two weeks owing to injury, so even with the victory, not everything was positive.
Updates regarding Nico Raskin’s injury
After sustaining an injury during the 2-1 victory over Hearts at the end of October, the 22-year-old was carted off the field; the initial assessment was that he would return during the international break.
After Sunday’s league match, Clement gave the media an update on his recuperation, and it wasn’t good news for the Ibrox supporters.
“Next week, Nico will undergo a new evaluation because his rehabilitation is not progressing as planned. While I am not happy about this, it is what it is.” he stated. We must come up with answers.
The 49-year-old said that he had “very little” chance of playing against Aberdeen. The Light Blues, who had hoped to be back to full strength before the match, will take a hit from this.
It is unclear if he will participate in any of the holiday games, so Clement will have to adjust and make use of other players in the team.
Nico Raskin’s career stats with the Rangers
After pursuing Raskin since the previous summer, the Light Blues were able to sign him during the January transfer window, and it appeared that Michael Beale had made a wise decision in acquiring him.
The Belgian made 16 appearances for the team in his first half-year, and even though he joined with more than half the season already finished, Raskin was still able to rank third on the team in tackles per game (1.8), completing 88% of his passes and dribbling with a remarkable 92% success rate.
He was obviously going to have a great career in the game, and his brief stint in Glasgow showed that he might become a mainstay in the
In the 2023–24 season thus far, Raskin leads the team in tackles per game (2.8), and he also ranks seventh in terms of accurate passes per game (44.1) and major chances created (two), demonstrating both his remarkable passing ability and his tenacious nature.
Although John Lundstram is a reliable presence in the midfield, Clement has to work to bring Ryan Jack and Jose Cifuentes up to speed as they are the former Sheffield United midfielder’s most likely partners. His departure is felt.
But since Tom Lawrence went a little deeper versus St Mirren over the weekend, there might be another choice. For the next few weeks, could the Welshman step in for Raskin?
Numbers from Tom Lawrence’s match against St. Mirren
The 29-year-old played the entire ninety minutes, and with each match, he is gradually getting back to the kind of play that first drew the attention of the Gers.
Throughout his 93 touches against the Paisley team, Lawrence was always trying to get involved. In a dominant display, the midfielder completed two crucial passes and was successful on his lone dribbling attempt.
Although he did give up the ball eighteen times, it was only because he was a frequent forward and the former Derby County player also contributed defensively.
The midfield player made four tackles and won 50% of his ground duels during the game; perhaps as a result of his performance, Clement will have to consider his options moving ahead.
Tom Lawrence’s Rangers stats for this season
Following an injury that kept him out of the game for almost the whole previous season in August 2022, Lawrence has proven to be incredibly resilient in both his recovery and his ability to push his way into Clement’s future plans.
Journalist Joshua Barrie of Rangers Review recently praised the £22k-per-week master, calling him “brilliant,” and he has shown promise this season.
The Welshman’s efficiency as an attacker is demonstrated by the fact that he ranks second among the team for major opportunities created in the Premiership (three), and he also ranks fourth for crucial passes per game (1.7), fifth for successful dribbles per game (one), and eighth for shots on target per game (0.8).
