Rangers failed to beat their nearest rivals in the League Cup final at Hampden Park on Sunday afternoon to retain their title.
In a back-and-forth game at the National Stadium, the Light Blues lost 5-4 on penalties.
Philippe Clement’s side took the lead in the match when Albania international Nedim Bajrami rebounded into the net after Hamza Igamane’s first-time shot was saved.
However, goals from Greg Taylor and Daizen Maeda gave Celtic a 2-1 lead in the second half before Mohamed Diomande made it 2-2 with a close-range shot.
The Hoops may have thought they had sealed victory when Nicolas Kuhn swept the ball into the back of the net on Arne Engels’ pass in the 87th minute, but a minute later Danilo ) scored with a header from close range, sending the game into the final. Overtime.
Rangers fought hard in extra time to take the game to penalties, only to be let down by Ridvan Yilmaz, the only player to miss a spot kick.
Ridvan Yilmaz’s performance against Celtic
The Türkiye international has rarely appeared on the pitch for the Gers this season. There are two beginnings Started in the Scottish Premiership and Europa League,
Perhaps his absence from all competitions in the 2024/25 season played a factor in his performance at Hampden Park on Sunday, as the full-back looked far out of rhythm after coming on to replace Jepht.
Glasgow World honors former Besiktas star Player rating is dismal 4/10 He pointed out that his mistakes in the game, going over the crossbar, and his mistakes at the penalty spot were the reasons for the poor rating.
However, it wasn’t just his lackluster performance that held him back against Celtic, it was also his third goal for the Hoops in the final that left a lot to be desired.
Yilmaz made a sliding interception completely on the halfway line without pressure, with Inis Hagi and Nicholas Raskin already ahead of him, leaving Kuhn and Engels almost unchallenged on the right.
This meant Kuhn could carry the ball down the right wing without pressure and then pass the ball outside to Robin Propper, allowing the Belgian midfielder to pass it back for the German to score.
The Rangers defender’s performance in the cup final therefore cost his team, which is why he was one of the worst performers on the pitch.
Clement must now consider ruthlessly dumping Yilmaz in the January transfer window After interest in Besiktas He was re-signed in the summer as he has become Jephter’s second-in-command, and his disappointment in the cup final suggests that is unlikely to change anytime soon.
However, Yilmaz is not the only player who should be cruelly eliminated by the Belgian coach, with centre-back Propper also enduring another difficult afternoon in the light blue jersey.
Robin Propper’s performance against Celtics
The summer signing from Twente did not enjoy his best game for Rangers in Sunday’s cup final as his performances with and without the ball left a lot to be desired.
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Glasgow World gave him a bleak Player rating is 4/10Level with Yilmaz, writing that he looked “nervous” in possession while struggling to cope with the pace of the likes of Kuhn and Keigo Furuhashi.
Propper was questionable on all three Celtic goals. Perhaps he was unlucky in the first goal as Taylor’s long-range shot deflected off his boot and into the back of the net, although the Dutchman could have made himself bigger to avoid such a cruel deflection.
The former Eredivisie great showed a lack of pace in the second goal as he failed to help his centre-back partner Leon Balogun, with the Nigerian’s error allowing Maeda to get past Proper and score Second goal.
Proper was then left isolated on the midfield line for the third goal by a poor decision by Yilmaz, caught between two mentalities and either retreating to defend the penalty area or going out to challenge Engels, ultimately doing nothing to Prevent Kuhn from scoring.
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Why Robin Propper Must Be Consigned to the Dumpster
While it may be a little too early to cash in on the centre-back considering he only joined in the summer, Clement will have to be ruthless to drop him from the starting XI and consider him in the January transfer window Choice in this position.
Propper replaced Rangers veteran Connor Goldson in the summer but has so far failed to live up to the Englishman’s legacy at Ibrox.
The 31-year-old loser has only played nine Premier League games this season and has been eliminated from the squad. unused substitute With John Souttar missing due to injury in the past two league games, Balogun became first choice ahead of him.
Premier League | Robin Propper(24/25) | Connor Goldson(23/24) |
|---|---|---|
Number of appearances | 9 | 30 |
Dribbling the ball every game | 0.6 times | 0.2 times |
Ground duel success rate | 58% | 73% |
Aerial duel success rate | 59% | 67% |
Fouls per game | 1.1 | 0.7 |
As you can see in the table above, Propper is far less dominant than Goldson will be in 2023/24, with a lower win rate in both ground and aerial duels.
Opposition players also found it too easy to outscore him with the ball, as he was dribbled through far more often than the English giant.
These statistics suggest that Rangers have not adequately replaced Goldson, which is why Clement should dump the Dutchman and upgrade him in January.
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Whether that included selling him or not, Propper had to be dropped from the starting lineup for the second half of the season as his performances, including the defeat in the cup final, were not good enough.
