GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 18: A general view during the pre-season friendly match between Rangers and Newcastle at Ibrox Stadium on July 18, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Although Jack Butland contributed to Rangers’ close victory over Hearts at Tynecastle, manager Philippe Clement also praised the goalie on the opposite end.
Since Craig Gordon rejoined the Hearts team, Zander Clark is under pressure to perform. The forty-year-old was a pleasant sight on the bench against the Rangers, watching as Clark made some excellent saves, most notably one in the first half where he stopped Danilo with his foot to keep his team in the game. Gordon gave him a fist bump for it at halftime.
Butland made a fantastic stop to deny Lawrence Shankland just before Adballah Sima gave Rangers the lead after 34 minutes. In the second half, he also produced several excellent stops from Kenneth Vargas and Kyosuke Tagawa.
“Having a good goalkeeper is crucial,” Clement stated. “I must mention that there were some significant saves made by the opposing team, including a chance involving Abda that was marked offside but wasn’t, in my opinion. Both teams played excellent goalkeeping.
Regarding the conclusion of his own team, Clement was less than effusive. Even though he has led his team to 11 games without a loss, he emphasized the need to be more clinical. After the Rangers’ most recent away game, he lodged the identical grievance against Aberdeen.
“We must score the second goal and try to end the game,” he declared.
“The game would have ended differently because it gave Hearts a chance to stay in it, and they were searching for the opportunity that would have fallen to someone’s foot with every long ball or long throw. We had five excellent opportunities, but in my opinion, we should have scored at least three goals given our strengths. hence additional tasks to complete. The manager also gave an update on Tom Lawrence, the midfield player who was sidelined in the first half due to a muscular issue.
The drawback, he stated, was that “we need to assess that tomorrow to make an assessment.” “Switching players throughout the first half is not a good idea. Prior to this game, Borna (Barisic) was lost. I have never had a team that I worked on have so many injured players, so it’s more challenging for me right now.
Additionally, because we are playing games one after the other, we don’t have the time to train them and strengthen them. We must put in a lot of effort until January in order to solve the puzzle each time, identify the optimal 11 for that game, and make the necessary adjustments.
