Glasgow Rangers defeated St. Johnstone 2-0 at Ibrox on Wednesday to go a step closer to the top of the Scottish Premiership standings.
The Light Blues can pass their fierce rivals in the top division if they win the three points in their upcoming match. Currently, they are two points behind them.
The Belgian strategist has made a strong start to his tenure in Scotland, winning 12 of his first 15 games after taking over for Michael Beale.
James Tavernier’s goal gave the Gers a 1-0 victory over Aberdeen in the League Cup final last weekend, giving Clement his first trophy as manager of the team. He will be hoping for many more to come.
The former AS Monaco manager has already had to deal with a lot of injuries, such as Danilo’s knee injury that has kept him out for four months, and now he faces yet another setback as John Lundstram appears to be headed for some time off.
John Lundstram’s injuries for the Rangers
For a horrific challenge on the central midfielder, Saints striker Diallang Jaiyesimi was shown the red card; however, VAR was required to reach that conclusion.
Due to an ankle injury sustained in that challenge on the former Sheffield United star, Clement had to replace him at halftime. It is currently unknown when he will return to action.
Although the Belgian manager said that the injury does not appear to be good, the head coach of the Gers expressed optimism that Lundstram will recover and be available for selection before the Christmas break.
The English whiz was reportedly “kicked” from the field, and Clement expressed his frustration with his players’ behavior, highlighting a subsequent violent challenge on Kieran Dowell.
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The former coach of Club Brugge does not object to opponents tackling or sliding in on his Rangers players, but some challenges have gone too far, as shown by Jaiyesimi’s Wednesday red card.
Other teams should understandably try to make the game more competitive given the quality difference, but Clement seems to be upset by certain players’ methods that involve making reckless tackles that could result in injuries, like Lundstram’s.
But the manager’s first concern now ought to be how he intends to replace the 2021 signing. In light of this, it would be best to start Dujon Sterling, a natural right-back, in his new position in the middle of the park to lessen the impact of the midfielder’s injury.
The statistical performance of Dujon Sterling vs St. Johnstone
After replacing Lundstram at halftime, the 24-year-old star came off the bench and made an impression with an outstanding second half performance.
As one might anticipate from a natural full-back, Sterling displayed his defensive prowess in 45 minutes on the field, with one tackle, one interception, and a 67% (2/3) success rate in ground duel situations.
Then, when Rangers got the ball, he was able to get on it and make things happen. The English dynamo proved to be a dependable alternative for the team with the ball as seen by his impressive 92% (24/26) completion rate of attempted passes.
Following Jose Cifuentes’ red card earlier this month, the former Chelsea prospect—whose recent performances were praised as “exceptional” by Hearts star Andy Halliday—also started in midfield against Dundee and contributed one tackle, one interception, and one crucial pass in 45 minutes, as well as in the League Cup final.
Clement has praised Sterling’s adaptability, even making jokes about playing goal, and asserted that the outstanding talent will be a “important” player for him going ahead, no matter where that happens to be on the field.
Following his outstanding performance against St. Johnstone on Wednesday, the £22k-per-week batter should be positioned as a central midfielder for the time being.
Letting him go would lessen the blow of Lundstram’s injury because he possesses the attacking and defensive skills to be a great operator in that capacity.
Data from Lundstram’s season
The seasoned Gers midfielder has given Clement excellent support both in and out of possession as he has had a strong start to the 2023–24 campaign.
Lundstram’s defensive efforts for the Scottish powerhouses have drawn particular attention. Throughout 16 games, he has recorded 2.5 tackles, 2.5 interceptions, and 6.8 ball recoveries per game.
According to these numbers, the Rangers star is able to prevent rival attacks and open up more opportunities for his team to score goals at the top of the pitch by winning the ball back for them several times each game.
He is not, however, a particularly gifted individual. Lundstram is tied for ninth place on the squad with an average of 1.1 crucial passes per game, however he has yet to score or assist on any goals.
This demonstrates that despite having completed 89% of his passes, the former Sheffield United player is not a reliable creative threat in the middle of the field who can regularly open up defenses.
Because of this, Sterling’s two crucial passes in the first half of Wednesday night’s game were noteworthy. In 45 minutes, he created more chances than Lundstram had on average in every game this season.
In light of this, Clement may be able to lessen the pain of losing the 29-year-old metronome by using the summer acquisition in his new position in midfield, where his strength, agility, and quality of possession may make him an important asset for the Gers going ahead.